Introduction
Vasculitis is an inflammation of the blood vessels. There are innumerable different types of vasculitis, which are assigned to this group of diseases. Vasculitis can lead to many different symptoms, as almost all organs can be affected. If certain symptoms occur without any other identifiable cause, they can indicate the presence of vasculitis. However, the diagnosis can ultimately only be made by special laboratory tests in the blood and, if necessary, a tissue sample.
Overview of symptoms
Since there are blood vessels in every organ and every area of the body, vasculitis can cause symptoms in all organ systems. However, none of these symptoms are evidence of vasculitis. Another cause may always be responsible and a diagnosis can ultimately only be made by a medical examination.
- Frequent are for example changes in the skin such as discoloration or bleeding.
- The eyes may also be affected and redness or visual disturbances may occur.
- If the brain is involved, headaches can occur, but also a stroke with paralysis and speech disorders.
- A possible symptom on the hands is a painful fading of the fingers.
- Breathlessness and coughing up blood are possible symptoms of vasculitis with lung involvement.
Various symptoms can occur on the skin in vasculitis, which may indicate the presence of the disease. If the smallest blood vessels (capillaries) are affected by the inflammation, so-called petechiae can appear. These are punctiform bleedings that cannot be pushed away with the finger.
They occur most frequently on the lower legs. Another symptom on the skin that indicates a special form of vasculitis is livedo reticularis. This is a reticular redness.
Another form of vasculitis is characterized by lightning-figure-like, bluish-red skin lesions known as livedo racemosa. In addition to the skin, the mucous membrane is also often affected by vasculitis, and painful aphtae and petechiae can develop. If the nervous system is affected by vasculitis, this can lead to very different symptoms.
If smaller vessels in the nervous system are damaged, this usually leads to a tingling or sensation, usually affecting the hands or feet. Damage to special nerve fibers can also impair the function of the sweat glands, so that dry skin can also be a possible symptom. In rare cases, even the robust nerves that transmit the signals for movement are affected, so a possible symptom of vasculitis of the nervous system may be paralysis of an arm or leg, for example.
Some forms of vasculitis affect, among others, or even exclusively the brain. This can be recognized by symptoms such as persistent dull headaches, memory loss, concentration problems or dizziness. Also possible are psychological symptoms such as a change of character.
If large vessels are affected by the vasculitis, a stroke can also result. If this occurs with the typical symptoms such as hemiplegia or speech disorders even in young people, this can indicate vasculitis. Epileptic seizures or psychoses are also possible symptoms that may be due to vasculitis in the brain.
This topic might also be of interest to you: Which symptoms does a psychosis cause? Allergic vasculitis is a special form of vasculitis with an as yet unexplained cause. The vascular damage is probably due to excessive activity of the body’s own defense system, which leads to an inflammatory reaction of the small blood vessels.
The symptoms of allergic vasculitis cannot usually be distinguished from other forms. In most cases, general symptoms such as fever or fatigue appear first. Other possible symptoms of allergic vasculitis can include joint pain and spotty skin bleeding.
The eyes can also be affected by redness or pain. Abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea are possible symptoms, even if the gastrointestinal tract is affected.If several of the above-mentioned symptoms occur together, the presence of vasculitis should be considered. Whether the symptoms are due to allergic vasculitis can ultimately only be determined by a tissue sample.
Leucocytoclastic vasculitis is a large subgroup of vasculitides, which are defined on the basis of certain subtissue-detectable changes. The diagnosis is therefore only possible by microscopic examination of a tissue sample of the skin by a pathologist. It is not possible to distinguish leukocytoclastic vasculitis from other forms of vasculitis on the basis of symptoms.
The possible symptoms are therefore generally all those that can generally be caused by vasculitis. Apart from general complaints such as fever and reduced performance, reddened eyes and joint pain are among the most common. Punctiform bleeding or rough knots can form on the skin.
If internal organs are involved, numerous other unspecific symptoms are possible, depending on the type of infestation. If vasculitis affects the eyes, possible symptoms include reddening of the conjunctiva or eyelids and visual disturbances. Depending on which part of the eyes is affected, double vision may occur or visual acuity may decrease.
It is also possible that one eye is affected more than the other. In most cases, however, such symptoms are accompanied by another form of inflammation, which can often be treated well and then subsides again. If, however, vasculitis such as temporal arteritis is suspected due to other symptoms, immediate treatment with glucocorticoids is necessary to prevent permanent damage such as loss of vision.
Even if such symptoms persist for a long period of time despite medical treatment, vasculitis is one possible cause of the eye complaints and should be clarified. In some forms of vasculitis, the kidneys are also affected. Kidney disease can indirectly trigger a variety of symptoms, which may provide clues to the presence of vasculitis.
Among other things, damage to the kidneys causes an increase in blood pressure, which can be noticed by headaches, among other things. Blood in the urine can also indicate a kidney disease and should be clarified by a doctor. Sometimes pain is also felt in the right or left flank.
If vasculitis leads to a pronounced reduction in kidney function, water retention, itching and clouding of consciousness can also be the result. In such a case, an artificial kidney replacement procedure such as dialysis must usually be performed to detoxify the blood. Various forms of vasculitis cause symptoms in the lungs, among other things.
The resulting symptoms can provide clues to the presence of this disease, but other causes such as an infectious disease or cancer must always be considered. A typical symptom is coughing up blood. Other possible symptoms are shortness of breath at rest and increased exertion.
In addition, many forms of vasculitis increase the risk of blood clots forming in the blood vessels. Among other things, these can cause a pulmonary embolism. Such an acute disease is often manifested by sudden shortness of breath and increased coughing.
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Possible symptoms on the fingers that may indicate vasculitis are especially a feeling of cold and pain. Often the so-called Raynaud’s phenomenon appears. In this case, one or more fingers are blown off in attacks because the blood-bearing vessel contracts.
Afterwards the affected finger(s) turn blue. After some time, more blood flows in again and a red coloration appears. A particularly pronounced form of this vasculitis on the fingers can be recognized by the fact that tissue at the end of the fingers dies off and black skin defects remain. In such a case, part or all of the affected finger must usually be amputated to prevent an inflammatory reaction.
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