Vasculitis: From Diagnosis to Treatment

Vasculitis refers to diseases that cause blood vessel walls to thicken  and narrow, cutting off blood supply to tissues and organs. Vasculitis  encapsulates several conditions, and the cause of vasculitis is often  unknown. This book explores various formsof vasculitis and options for  treatment. Chapter One includes a detailed description of giant cell  arteritis, a form of vasculitis involving inflammation of the middle and  large arteries, including the latest management strategies. Chapter Two  concerns different types of vasculitis affecting the lungs, their signs  and symptoms, treatment, and complications needed for diagnosis.  Chapter Three deals with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, a  multisystemic necrotizing vasculitis characterized by allergic  rhinitis, asthma, and peripheral eosinophilia. Chapter Four describes  the common pathophysiology and cardiovascular complications arising in  different vasculidities. Chapter Five reviews the pathophysiology,  epidemiology, diagnostic investigation, and treatment of infection  etiologies of Herpesviridae associated with vasculitis. Chapter Six  elucidates the impact of vasculitis on the gastrointestinal system.  Chapter Seven explains hypocomplementic urticarial vasculitis syndrome,  defined as presence of greater than six months of urticaria along with  hypocomplementemia and multi-system manifestations such as recurrent  abdominal pain, uveitis, arthralgia and glomerulonephritis. Chapter  Eight explicates the use of biologics in treating rheumatology  disorders, with rituximab being recommended in organ-threatening,  refractory systemic lupus erythematosus. Lastly, Chapter Nine discusses  the pathophysiology and adverse effects of adenoviral vector  vaccinations for SARS-CoV-2 and the importance of identifying the true  epidemiology of adverse outcomes regarding promoting increased  acceptance of COVID-19 vaccinations, while stressing that despite the  possibility of adverse outcomes, the benefits of vaccination outweigh  the risks of remaining unvaccinated