Arteritis

As arteritis inflammation of arteries is called.

Cause of today rather rare acute arteritis may be an acute infection, such as fever. Chronic forms are also observed in HIV infection, tuberculosis and syphilis. In essence, however, it is diseases of the rheumatic type. The best known example is the temporal arteritis in the context of polymyalgia rheumatica. Two special forms of arteritis can not be clearly classified: thromboangiitis obliterans and Behcet's disease. In animals, viral diseases such as equine arteritis equine arteritis or unknown cause such as meningitis - arteritis of the dog occur.

Rheumatic causes

The rheumatic arteritis among the vasculitides. Since this often also capillaries and venous vessels are concerned, is usually spoken of a angiitis. In addition to the primary vasculitides, in which the inflammation of the vessels is assumed to be a cause of disease, is the secondary vasculitis another underlying disease before, also mostly rheumatic, such as a collagen disease or rheumatoid arthritis.

The classification can be done according to the histopathological picture as ( granulomatous ) Riesenzellarteriitiden as necrotizing vasculitis and leukocytoclastic vasculitis as. More common, however, is the division according to the size of the predominantly affected vessels, which emerged from a consensus conference in the American Chapel Hill in 1992:

• Vasculitis of large vessels: Giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica closely related with temporal arteritis ( synonym: Cranial arteritis, Horton's disease ): granulomatous arteritis of the large trunk vessels, often also affects the temporal artery; rare before the age of 50.
• Takayasu 's arteritis: Granulomatous inflammation of the aorta and large arteries outgoing trunks. Most occurring before age 50.

• Vasculitis of medium-sized vessels Polyarteritis nodosa: necrotizing vasculitis of small and medium -sized vessels
• Kawasaki syndrome: mostly acute in children, with typical rash ( " strawberry tongue " ), fever and swollen lymph nodes.

• Vasculitis of the small vessels Wegener 's granulomatosis: granulomatous vasculitis, mostly kidneys and lungs are affected with glomerulonephritis
• Churg -Strauss syndrome: granulomatous vasculitis, usually of the respiratory tract ( respiratory system ), with eosinophilia and asthma.
• Cutaneous angiitis zytoklastische
• Henoch -Schonlein vasculitis in young children, usually joints, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract and skin ( purpura) are affected, often after a respiratory infection.
• Microscopic polyangiitis: necrotizing vasculitis, usually of the respiratory tract and the kidneys with glomerulonephritis

Typical of a primary vasculitis is to demonstrate antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA ), except for some vasculitis of small vessels. The treatment is immunosuppressive in general. In addition, supportive measures are often required, for example, temporarily dialysis for kidney failure. Important and difficult is the diagnosis, which often takes place very delayed.