Vasculitis is a disease that is associated with inflammatory processes of the vascular walls. The causes of its occurrence can be different, the disease can affect blood vessels of various types and sizes. Therefore, vasculitis is a common name for a group of ailments associated with blood vessels:
- Arteritis - inflammation of the walls of the arteries.
- Capillaries - inflammation of the walls of the capillaries.
- Arteriolitis - inflammation of the arterioles (small arteries).
- Phlebitis - inflammation of the walls of the veins.
There is also systemic vasculitis. This is a lesion of the walls of blood vessels of various types.
Causes
To understand what causes this disease, you first need to understand the difference between a disease that occurs on its own (primary vasculitis) and vascular damage resulting from another disease. Primary vasculitis is an ailment, the causes of which are not fully understood by medicine. The appearance of secondary vasculitis can cause the following factors:
- A variety of acute or chronic infections of viral and bacterial etiology.
- Genetic predisposition.
- Individual response of some people to vaccination.
- Contact with toxic substances that are used to treat certain diseases (cancer and others).
- The impact on the body of a variety of chemicals.
- Severe overheating of the body.
- Prolonged exposure to low temperatures, i.e. severe hypothermia.
- Various injuries.
- Burns (including sunburn).
Any of these factors can cause the disease, causing a change in the antigenic structure of the tissues of the blood vessels. Together, their influence is increasing. The body responds by rejection. He begins to consider the cells of his own vessels as foreign objects and develop antibodies to combat them. Skin vasculitis is caused by various allergic reactions. Segmented and localized disease occurs due to infection of the pathogens on the vascular walls. There is also hemorrhagic vasculitis. Symptoms of it are quite difficult to diagnose. This is a chronic disease, the onset of which is provoked by various infections, but inflammation of the vascular walls is aseptic in nature (without infection).
Symptomatology
Patients with systemic vasculitis have similar symptoms. The disease begins with a fever, during which the body temperature periodically rises and falls. Periods of significant increase in temperature correspond to the appearance of new vascular inflammations. Signs of vasculitis are also bruising on the skin. Further hemorrhages can affect the joints, muscles and internal organs. Which organ will be affected depends on which vessels are affected by the disease. If the disease appears against a background of arthritis, then first there are general symptoms of inflammation, and after about a month vasculitis appears. With joint damage, joint pain and arthritis are observed. Systemic vasculitis, as a rule, is characterized by a long course with constant progression, periodic exacerbations. The prognosis of recovery depends on which organs are affected by the disease and how large changes have occurred in them.