Vasculitis is a very rare disease that can vary from a very mild variety that needs no treatment to one involving many organs (systemic disease), which means the person ends up in hospital very ill.  It is a condition that can occur on its own, or in connection with another illness that is already present, for example, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.

When vasculitis is the main illness, it may be referred to as 'primary systemic vasculitis'.  This term is used as a umbrella to classify different types of vasculitides depending on presenting symptoms and the blood vessels involved.  Therefore, it is as well for each individual patient to ask for specific information from their own consultant regarding their individual diagnosis.

Some of the names given to different types of primary systemic vasculitis are given below:

Giant cell arteritis                            

Polyarteritis nodosa

Wegner's Granulomatosis

Microscopic polyangiitis

Essential cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis

Cutaneous leukocytoclastic angiitis

Kawasaki disease

Churg-Strauss Syndrome

Henoch-Schonlein purpura

Behcet's disease

How ill the person feels, what treatment will be needed and how quickly treatment must be started depends on:

• Where the inflammation is?

• How bad the inflammation is?

• How many blood vessels are involved?

• How many major organs, for example lungs and kidneys, are involved?

To make a diagnosis of vasculitis, the doctor will need to take a complete medical history, carry out a physical examination and arrange for some tests to be carried out (for example, blood tests and X-rays).  The tests will vary from individual to individual depending on what symptoms they have and what their history reveals.  It may seem very frustrating for the patient if they have to repeat their symptoms they have and what their history reveals.  It may seem more than one doctor (which is often the case). 

However, it is important to be patient because getting the diagnosis correct is vital and can be a complex process.

Sometimes the first diagnosis gets changed, as more information is collected and the advice and opinion of different doctors is sought.  This is essential for a rare disease.  It can be quite unsettling and again, frustrating for the patient.  However, as the disease often overlaps with other forms of connective tissue diseases, it is important for the doctors to keep an open mind whilst they are deciding what the correct diagnosis should be.