Vasculitis syndrome: an approach.

Vasculitides are clinical syndromes characterized by vessel wall inflammation and resultant organ damage. Pathogenesis involves autoimmune reactions from type I to type IV. Vasculitis may be primary or secondary to infective and connective tissue disorders. The extent of damage may involve multiple organ systems or may remain limited to skin only. As the vasculitic syndromes display a multitude of variable presentations, there can be no uniform laid out guidelines or evaluation scale for the diagnosis of these conditions. High degree of suspicion, a detailed history regarding onset of disease and course of illness, meticulous physical examination, and appropriate laboratory tests to determine organ systems involved and the extent of involvement, lead to the diagnosis of specific syndrome. Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), urinalysis, organ-specific biopsy and arteriography are the main diagnostic modalities for the diagnosis of vasculitis.