Vasculitis Flashcards
What is vasculitis?
Inflammation of blood vessels.
Usually systemic and disrupts the internal elastic lamina.
Causes of Primary vs Secondary vasculitis?
Primary Vasculitis=> Due to unknown cause.
Secondary Vasculitis=> Due to drugs, radiation, infection, cryglobulinaemia, connective tissue disease or malignancy.
Example of a large vessel vasculitis with granulomas?
Temporal arteritis
Example of a medium vessel vasculitis with granulomas?
EGPA (Churg-strauss syndrome)
Examples of medium vessel vasculitis without granulomas?
Polyarteritis nodosa.
Kawasaki syndrome.
Example of a small vessel vasculitis with granulomas?
GPA (Wegener’s granulomatosis)
Examples of small vessel vasculitis without granulomas?
MPA.
Henoch Schonlein Purpura.
How to diagnose vasculitis?
Ideally: -Biopsy of affected organ. - Angiography Also: -Serology=> Detect ANCA. (ANCA serology not as specific).
Clinical features of GPA?
URT symptoms (usually unilateral)
LRT symptoms
Glomerulonephritis
Inflamm in any organ.
Laboratory features of GPA?
Granulomas, Vasculitis, and fibrinoid necrosis on biopsy.
ANCA positive.
When may an ANCA positive result cause false positives for vasculitis?
Infection, inflammatory diseases, other conditions where inflammation may be present e.g lymphoma.
What is SBE?
Subacute bacterial endocarditis.
Infection leading to immune complex deposition, damaging heart valves/forming valvular vegetations.
Also with systemic effects such as pyrexia.
How is SBE diagnosed?
Echocardiography, clinical suspicion, blood cultures, etc.
How to treat SBE?
Use antibiotics to treat the infection.
What are cryoglobulins?
Ig’s which precipitate in the cold.
