Vasculitis

Vasculitis is the general term for inflammation of blood vessels. Each form of vasculitis is characterized by the type of vessels affected — large, medium or small arteries — and by the distribution of the inflammation throughout the body. Any blood vessel may be affected, from the largest (the aorta) to the smallest vessels found in the skin (capillaries). Vasculitis may be associated with other systemic diseases, like arthritis, lupus erythematosus and other diseases of the immune system, as well as collagen vascular or connective tissue disorders.

Some of the most common types of vasculitis are:

• Raynaud’s disease (Raynaud's phenomenon)
• Buerger’s disease (thromboangitis obliterans)
• Takayasu’s arteritis

The UC Davis Vascular Center physicians and staff have extensive experience in treating all forms of vasculitis.