Causes and symptoms of allergic vasculitis in children and adults

Vasculitis is a general term used to refer to various diseases directly related to inflammation of blood vessels.

In the process of inflammation, blood vessels stretch and lose elasticity. In different cases of such a violation, they can narrow and expand, and even close completely.

This disease affects people of any age, but in some age groups certain types of vasculitis occur more often than in others.

Specialists identify a huge number of varieties of this disease, and some of them can be limited only to the defeat of certain organs.

For example, vasculitis allergic can affect only the vessels of the skin, eyes, brain and separate internal organs. There are types of disease, for which the defeat of several systems of organs is characteristic.

Causes of the disease

For the most part of all clinical cases, vasculitis, the cause of which can be established accurately, is very rare. Sometimes the origin of pathology can be determined with high probability after a careful study of the patient's history.

For example, this disease can develop as a consequence of recently transferred viruses. In addition, allergic reactions to certain medications and the drugs themselves can also trigger the appearance of vasculitis.

If the pathology is detected after a short time after the transferred virus, or is detected against a background of a slow infectious disease, experts diagnose vasculitis is infectious-allergic.

Modern medicine makes it possible to cure most of the known infections, after which the disease passes almost without a trace. In some individual cases, the infection can cause an abnormal reaction of the body's immune system, which in turn causes damage to the blood vessels.

In addition, the disease can become a complication of rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome or lupus. In order to accurately diagnose vasculitis allergic, a general examination of the patient is conducted, followed by a careful examination of the affected systems and organs.

In most cases, if vasculitis is a consequence of an allergic reaction, it passes without treatment. If pathology affects the lungs, brain, kidneys and other vital organs and systems of the body, therapy should be carried out immediately.

Because this disease can affect different organs, it is attributed to a huge number of symptoms, detected depending on the localization of the lesion.

For example, allergic skin vasculitis affects the upper skin, resulting in a characteristic skin rash and itching in the patient.

When the blood vessels responsible for the supply of blood to the nervous tissues are affected, reduced sensitivity and muscle weakness are observed. In the case when the pathology affects the vessels of the brain, the risk of a stroke increases, and if the heart muscle is affected, a heart attack.

In addition, often this disease is characterized by fever, a decrease or lack of appetite, weight loss and a general decline in strength.

Danger of allergic vasculitis

This disease can be a huge danger to the health of the patient. For example. If a certain segment of the vessel is weakened, it can cause an aneurysm, that is, protrusion of the vessel wall.

Sometimes the blood walls become thinner to such a level that they can not withstand blood pressure. If this happens with a large vessel, then the rupture can lead to internal bleeding, and this, in turn, is fatal. Fortunately, such cases are extremely rare.

Allergic vasculitis is especially dangerous in children, as their body is not able to cope with some injuries.

In inflammation and a decrease in the diameter of blood vessels, the blood supply of a specific site can be partially or completely blocked.

If the collateral vessels are unable to provide such sites with the required amount of blood, the tissues begin to die off.

Methods for treating

As a rule, corticosteroids are used to treat allergic vasculitis. In some cases it is possible to prescribe medications used for chemotherapy, but in a much lower dosage.

The aim of such therapy is to suppress the abnormal reaction of the immune system, which caused damage to the blood vessels. The exact prognosis for patients with vasculitis depends on the specific type of disease in each individual case.