Vasculitis
Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms of vasculitis differ depending on the blood vessels involved. However, many patients with vasculitis feel sick and experience fevers, weight loss, fatigue, a rapid pulse and a range of aches and pains that are difficult to pinpoint. In addition, vasculitis can affect virtually every organ system in the body, including the skin, joints, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, blood, sinuses, nose and ears, eyes, brain and nerves.

The causes of most forms of vasculitis are unknown. However, it has been shown that the immune system plays a critical role in the tissue damage and that it may be related to other diseases of the immune system, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus or Sjögren's syndrome.