Pathoma: Vasculitis Flashcards
The intima layer is composed of ________.
endothelial cells and basement membrane
Most cases of vasculitis are not due to _______.
infection
Why do symptoms of organ ischemia occur in vasculitis?
Because of two things: (1) inflammation of the endothelium leads to exposure of the extracellular collagen, which initiates the clotting cascade, and (2) inflammation leads to scarring, which narrows blood vessels.
Why is temporal arteritis called giant cell?
Because it involves granulomas
What is the treatment for giant cell arteritis?
Corticosteroids
Without steroids, giant cell arteritis can lead to _________.
blindness, because of thrombi in the ophthalmic artery
Describe the presentation of Takayasu’s arteritis.
Fever, sweat, skin nodules, weak pulses, visual disturbances, and CNS events; common in young Asian women
Medium vessel vasculitis usually occurs in __________.
muscular arteries
Polyarteritis nodosa is a _________ of the medium vessels; all organs except the _______ can be affected.
necrotizing vasculitis; lungs
What is the meaning of the name, “polyarteritis nodosa”?
The disease usually has fibrinoid necrosis along medium-sized vessels that leads to a “string-of-pearls” appearance on histology
Presenting signs of Kawasaki’s disease are __________.
conjunctivitis, fever, cervical LAD, and erythema of the hands and feet
The most common artery involved in Kawasaki’s is the __________.
coronary
What is Reye’s syndrome?
When children with viral illness are given aspirin, they can get liver necrosis and encephalopathy.
Buerger’s syndrome is ___________.
vasculitis caused by smoking that leads to hand involvement and eventual auto-amputation of the digits
Explain the “C” mnemonic for Wegener’s.
Sattar calls Wegener’s “Wecener’s” to help remember that there are lots of Cs in Wegener’s granulomatosis: it has a C-shaped distribution, looking at the body from the front (nasopharynx, lungs, kidneys); it presents with cANCA; and it is treated with cyclophosphamide.
