Primary vasculitides - current diagnostics and therapy.

Abstract

By term „vasculitis“ inflammatory disease of blood vessels is designated that leads to vessel wall destruction followed by proliferation and occlusion of their lumina. Basic condition for this diagnosis is that vessel wall is a primary site of the pathological process. Clinical syndromes are a consequence of this process resulting into ischaemia of tissues supplied by the affected vessels and with constitutional symptoms associated to the inflammatory disease. Vasculitis can occur de novo as a primary involvement of vessel wall of unknown aetiology or it develops secondary to other diseases. The diagnosis of vasculitis is usually based on pathological findings from biopsy or abnormalities detected by imaging methods. This review describes the common primary vasculitides, their diagnostics and management.