Vasculitis Flashcards
what is vasculitis?
inflammation of the blood vessels
what determines the presentation of vasculitis?
which vessels are affected
what symptoms are common to all types of vasculitis?
systemic symptoms - fever, weight loss, fatigue
what is primary vasculitis?
due to an inflammatory response that targets the vessel walls with no known cause
what is secondary vasculitis?
triggered by something specific e.g. infection, drugs, toxins, other inflammatory disorder, cancer
what are the two main forms of large vessel vasculitis?
takayasu’s arteritis (TA)
giant cell arteritis (GCA)
what causes large vessel vasculitis?
granulomatous infiltration of the walls of the large vessels
what investigations should be done for suspected large vessel vasculitis?
inflammatory markers
temporal artery biopsy
USS
PET CT/CT angiogram
what is the management for large vessel vasculitis?
start 40-60mg prednisolone
consider steroid sparing agents
name two steroid sparing agents
leflunomide
methotrexate
what drug can be given to patients with relapsing or resistant GCA?
tocilizumab
who is most commonly affected by takayasu’s arteritis?
females <40
asian populations
what can be heard on auscultation in takayasu’s arteritis?
bruits
most commonly in the carotid artery
what blood pressure finding is seen in takayasu’s arteritis?
blood pressure differences at the extremities
what investigation should be done if takayasu’s arteritis is suspected?
angiogram
