Introduction
Vasculitis is essentially an inflammation of the vessel wall. It can be either infectious or non-infectious (autoimmune).
Generally, "vasculitis" is often mentioned on its own, referring to the latter (non-infectious) form. It is classified based on the vessel size (large vessels such as the aorta and its branches, medium vessels, and small vessels).
Mechanisms
- Immune complex deposition
- Neutrophil-mediated (ANCAs; pauci-immune)
- Anti-endothelial activity
Medium vessel vasculitides
The two entities in this group are the polyarteritis nodosa and Kawasaki disease.
Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN)
PAN