vascular vasculitis. What kind of disease is vasculitis and can it be cured? Causes of such diseases

"Vasculitis" is a general term that combines a number of diseases characterized by inflammation of the vascular walls. With such pathologies, blood vessels narrow, and nutrition and oxygen supply to tissues deteriorates. The result is often the death of tissues and a sharp decrease in the functional activity of individual organs, up to their complete failure.

Treatment of vasculitis is carried out mainly by rheumatologists, but the variety of clinical manifestations often requires examination by doctors of other specializations.

Classification

According to the accepted classification, primary and secondary varieties of inflammatory lesions of the vascular walls are distinguished.

Depending on the type of vessels affected by the inflammatory process, vasculitis is divided into:

• arteritis (large vessels suffer - arteries);
• arteriolitis (affected arterioles);
• phlebitis (inflamed veins);
• capillaries (small blood vessels are affected).

The group of vasculitis includes the following diseases:

• hemorrhagic vasculitis (Schonlein-Genoch syndrome);
• Takayasu's disease (nonspecific aortoarteritis);
• microscopic polyangiitis;
• Kawasaki disease;
• mixed vasculitis;
• nodular polyarteritis;
• allergic vasculitis of the skin;
• Horton's disease (giant cell vasculitis);
• Wegener's granulomatosis;
• cryoglobulinemic vasculitis.

Why do vasculitis develop?

Primary vasculitis is considered by specialists as an independent nosological form. The exact causes of occurrence this disease remain unclear to date.

Secondary lesions of the vascular walls develop against the background of a wide variety of pathologies.

Possible causes of secondary vasculitis:

• infections (both acute and chronic);
• individual reaction of the body to the introduction of vaccines (sera);
• contact with chemicals or biological poisons;
• genetic factor (hereditary predisposition);
• thermal factor (overheating or organism);
• skin (including against the background);
• injuries of various genesis and localization.

Important:vasculitis often develops in people who have undergone.

Any of these factors, as well as a combination of two or more of them, can change the antigenic structure of the body's own tissues, in this case, the walls of blood vessels. The immune system begins to perceive them as foreign, and activates the production of antibodies that further damage blood vessels. Thus, an autoimmune reaction is launched, in which inflammatory and degenerative processes develop in target tissues.

Symptoms of vasculitis

Clinical manifestations pathologies of this group largely depend on the nature of the disease, i.e., the specific nosological form. Some vasculitis affect only the skin, causing only minor discomfort to the patient. Others cause multiple lesions internal organs leading to the death of a person.

A symptom common to all vasculitis is a more or less pronounced febrile reaction. An increase in body temperature is a typical reaction of the body to a serious inflammation of any localization. Hyperthermia may be intermittent; for inflammation of the vessels, daily temperature fluctuations are quite characteristic. At the peak of its increase, a skin reaction in the form of rashes often develops.

Other symptoms often observed in patients with vasculitis include:

• general weakness;
• severe physical and mental fatigue;
• pallor of the skin;
• myalgia (typical for the nodular form);
• paresthesia (sensitivity disorders);
• drop in visual acuity;
• periodic loss of consciousness ();
• deterioration or complete lack of appetite;
• sleep disorders;
• neuropsychiatric disorders;
• frequent inflammation of the oral mucosa;
• swelling in the temporal region (characteristic of Horton's disease);
• the appearance of non-infectious ulcerative lesions on the genitals (with Behçet's syndrome).

Typical clinical manifestations of vasculitis include hemorrhages of a small area with primary localization on the skin of various parts of the body. As the process progresses, they appear in the muscle tissue, articular cavities and in the areas of nerve endings.

Depending on which vessels are affected, a certain organ is predominantly affected. If the renal vessels are affected, kidney infarctions also develop more often. With the localization of inflammation in the coronary arteries, the risk of heart damage is high (up to the conditioned one). When the vessels that feed the articular tissues are affected, symptoms develop first of all, and other signs may appear only after a few weeks or even months.

Note:Arthritis caused by malnutrition and tissue oxygenation is characterized by the development of a pain syndrome that is not associated with increased physical activity or injury. Against the background of vasculitis, inflammation usually develops in large joints.

A characteristic symptom of one of the most common vasculitis is hemorrhagic- is palpable purpura. These are skin rashes in the form of small hemorrhages with predominant localization on the folds of the limbs. Often revealed abdominal syndrome, which is characterized by intense pain in the abdomen.

With damage to the coronary vessels, cardialgia, shortness of breath and heart rhythm disturbances appear.

Wegener's granulomatosis is characterized by a predominant lesion of the nasal sinuses with the release of blood and pus from the nasal passages.

For any pathologies of this group, a protracted chronic course is typical with inevitable progression in the absence of treatment. They are also characterized by periodic exacerbations, during which the severity of clinical symptoms increases.

In the course of laboratory diagnostics in the blood, a decrease in the level of hemoglobin (anemia) and a moderate increase in the number of leukocytes and platelets are often determined.

In the urine, blood cells (leukocytes and erythrocytes) are determined, i.e. microhematuria occurs; protein is often found.

Clinical symptoms are for the most part non-specific, therefore, a number of laboratory tests are required to make a diagnosis (to confirm the inflammatory and autoimmune process), as well as hardware research methods -, CT scan and . Conducted if necessary.

Treatment of vasculitis, prognosis and prevention

Therapeutic tactics is selected for each patient individually. When drawing up a treatment plan, the form of vasculitis, the severity of the process and the presence of concomitant pathologies are taken into account.

The main tasks of therapeutic measures for vasculitis:

• achieving remission;
• relapse prevention;
• prevention of irreversible damage to organs and tissues;
• reducing the likelihood of complications;
• increasing the duration and improving the quality of life of the patient.

The basis of the treatment of vasculitis is pharmacotherapy. The patient is assigned medicines, reducing the sensitivity of tissues and reducing the synthesis of antibodies. In particular, glucocorticoid hormones are shown. It is hormone therapy that allows you to suppress abnormal activity in a short time. immune system. If, with a complicated course of the disease, it is not possible to achieve positive results with the help of glucocorticoids, chemotherapy with the use of cytostatics is indicated.

If a hemorrhagic type of pathology is diagnosed, a rational one becomes a prerequisite for successful treatment.

A good therapeutic effect in most cases can be achieved by purifying the blood through plasmapheresis and hemosorption techniques.

With a mild course of the disease and in remission, drugs from the NSAID group () help. Patients, in particular, are prescribed Voltaren and Indomethacin, which allow, among other things, to reduce the intensity of the pain syndrome.

With vasculitis, drugs are shown that reduce the degree of permeability of the vascular walls and inhibit the process of thrombosis.

Note:treatment of vasculitis of allergic origin, in which only minor skin lesions are detected, is possible without the use of pharmacological preparations. In this case, the exclusion of the patient's contact with the alleged allergen comes to the fore.

Forecast

The prognosis largely depends on the location and severity of vascular inflammation, as well as on the number of affected organs.

Prevention

Hardening procedures are recommended to prevent vascular inflammation. One of the important preventive measures is to reduce the influence of adverse external factors on the body and normalize sleep and rest. Should not be taken pharmacological preparations without a doctor's prescription or getting vaccinated unnecessarily. A person must receive all vaccines in accordance with the National Immunization Schedule.

Sovinskaya Elena, medical columnist

Vasculitis is a harmless pathology or a dangerous disease that requires the intervention of doctors and complex treatment? We will talk in more detail about the causes of the development of the disease, its types and forms, symptoms, methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention in our article.

What it is?

This is a dangerous and very unpleasant disease that is difficult to treat.

Reasons for development

In 90% of cases, the disease occurs against the background of another infectious or viral disease. Viruses and bacteria give a powerful impetus to the development of inflammation in the vascular system of the body.

The most dangerous from the point of view of the possibility of developing vasculitis is viral hepatitis. It is after this disease that inflammatory processes in the vessels occur most often.

Predisposing factors

The most common predisposing factors:

• frequent and prolonged hypothermia;
• negative impact on the body of various toxic substances;
• genetic predisposition;
• weakening of the protective functions of the body (lowered immune status);
• hyperactivity of the immune system (as a reaction to infection);
• overheat;
• poisoning;
• skin damage (mechanical, thermal, etc.);
• allergy to certain types of medicines;
• diseases and inflammatory processes of the thyroid gland;
• autoimmune diseases;
• complications of diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, reactive arthritis.

Development mechanism

Types, forms, classification

Some forms and types of the disease affect only the skin. Others affect vital organs and cause significant harm to the entire body, in extreme cases leading to death.

• Primary. They are the result of inflammation of the walls of the blood vessels themselves. Occur independently and are in no way associated with other pathologies.
• Secondary. They represent the reaction of the vessels themselves to other diseases occurring in the body. Secondary vasculitis is inflammation that has arisen against the background of viral or infectious diseases, oncology, and taking certain medications.

Vasculitis of the great vessels. We are talking about the following diseases:

• Arteritis Takayasu. Pathology of an autoimmune nature, in which the walls of the aorta and its branches are affected by a pronounced inflammatory process. Women suffer from Takayasu's arteritis much more often than men - in a ratio of 8:1.
• Giant cell arteritis. Another pathology of an autoimmune nature, which also affects the aorta and its branches and often occurs against the background of rheumatism. The most common cause of this type of vasculitis is infection of the patient with herpes or hepatitis viruses.

• Kawasaki disease. A disease that occurs in an acute febrile form and most often affects children. In the inflammatory process with this type of pathology, not only large, but also medium-sized vessels - veins and arteries - are involved.
• Nodular periarteritis. An ailment during which inflammation of the walls of small and medium-sized vessels occurs, which provokes more serious diseases and pathologies - myocardial infarction, thrombosis, etc. The most common "culprits" of the pathology are the hepatitis virus, as well as individual intolerance to certain drugs.

• Granulomatosis with polyangiitis. A severe autoimmune disease that tends to progress rapidly. Affects capillaries, venules, arterioles. Quite often, the lungs, organs of vision, and kidneys are involved in the pathological process.
• Microscopic polyangiitis. Pathology poorly understood by modern medicine. With inflammation of small vessels of this nature, several vital organs suffer at once - most often the kidneys and lungs.
• Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis. A disease that occurs when there is an excess of eosinophils in the blood, an excess of which leads to the development of severe inflammation in small and medium-sized vessels. In most cases, with this disease, the respiratory organs and kidneys are affected, and the patient suffers from severe shortness of breath, intense rhinitis, or bronchial asthma.
• Small vessel immune complex vasculitis: immunoglobulin A associated vasculitis, cryoglobulinemic vasculitis, anti-GBM disease.

• Behçet's disease. Pathology manifests itself by the frequent appearance of ulcers on the surface of the mucous membranes (in the mouth, in the genital area, on the gastric mucosa, etc.).
• Cogan syndrome.

Symptoms

Regardless of the form and type, most vasculitis occur with similar symptoms. Most characteristic symptoms pathologies:

• loss of appetite followed by weight loss;
• decrease in body temperature;
• the appearance of unaesthetic rashes on the skin;
• persistent pain in the joints;
• pallor of the skin;
• fatigue, weakness, malaise;
• frequent sinusitis;
• regular exacerbations of diseases of the heart and blood vessels;
• nausea and vomiting;
• sensitivity disorders - from minimal to pronounced;
• myalgia and arthralgia.

In children

In juvenile patients, the disease affects the joints, organs of the gastrointestinal tract, small vessels of the epidermis, and kidneys.

Diagnostics

• general analysis of blood and urine (allow to confirm or refute the presence of an inflammatory process in the body);
• a biochemical blood test (with the development of vasculitis, it determines a decrease in hemoglobin, moderate thrombocytosis, leukocytosis and hematocrit);
• angiography;
• ECHO-cardiography;
• Ultrasound of the heart, kidneys, abdominal organs.

Vasculitis is most difficult to diagnose in the early stages, when the disease does not have pronounced symptoms. With the intensive development of the disease, it is much easier to determine it. More obvious signs appear only when several organs are affected at once.

In the most severe cases, a biopsy of the affected tissues is performed to diagnose the disease, followed by a detailed study.

Treatment

In the treatment of pathology with severe symptoms, an integrated approach is required. Only complex therapy will quickly remove the unpleasant symptoms of the disease, improve the patient's condition and avoid serious complications.

Any types of treatment for vasculitis should be agreed with the attending physician and carried out only after a comprehensive diagnosis and diagnosis.

Medical treatment

• elimination of pathological reactions from the immune system that underlie the disease;
• prolongation of periods of stable remission;
• therapy of recurrence of pathology;
• prevention of secondary ailments and complications.

• Glucocorticoids. A special group of drugs from the category of hormonal drugs that have a pronounced effect: anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, immunoregulatory and some others.
  Taking drugs has high rates of therapeutic efficacy and provides longer and more stable periods of remission. The most popular and frequently used glucocorticoids for vasculitis are Hydrocortisone, Prednisolone.
• Cytostatics. Medicines that slow down the growth and division of all cells in the body, including tumor cells. Taking medications in this series is especially effective for vasculitis, accompanied by kidney damage. With systemic vasculitis, the simultaneous administration of glucocorticoids and cytostatics provides the fastest possible removal of the symptoms of the pathology and improvement of the condition.
  The average course of taking cytostatics for vasculitis is from 3 to 12 months. Common cytostatics recommended for use in vasculitis are Doxorubicin, Methotrexate, Cyclophosphamide, etc.
• Monoclonal antibodies. A special type of antibody produced by the body's immune system. Drugs from this category are indicated for patients who, due to various reasons, cannot undergo cytostatic therapy.
  Medicines in this series have their own contraindications for use. The main one is viral hepatitis B. The most popular among doctors for prescribing monoclonal antibodies is Rituximab.
• Immunosuppressants. The drugs that are used in the composition complex therapy together with glucocorticoids, and provide a depressant effect on the immune system. Azathioprine, Leflunomide are the most popular drugs in this series.
• Human immunoglobulins. Medicines that are most effective in severe infectious lesions of the kidneys and other organs, hemorrhagic alveolitis.
• Anti-infectives. Used in case of development of vasculitis against the background of diseases and pathologies infectious nature bacterial origin.
  Viral lesions are treated with antiviral drugs - Interferon, Lamivudine. Viral hepatitis is treated with drugs similar to the hepatitis virus.
• Antitoxic therapy. The main purpose of its implementation is the removal of toxins from the body. For binding, popular absorbent preparations are used - Atoxil, Enterosgel.
• NSAIDs. They are used in the case of thrombophlebitis with nodular forms of vasculitis, persistent inflammatory processes, extensive necrotic foci. Ibuprofen, Indomethacin, Acetylsalicylic acid are the most popular and commonly prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. medications with high efficiency rates.
• Anticoagulants. Indicated for admission to patients with a tendency to thrombosis. Preparations of this category prevent the appearance of blood clots in blood vessels, improve blood circulation processes, normalizing blood flow in the bloodstream. Effective coagulants for vasculitis are Heparin and Warfarin.
• Antihistamines. Antiallergic drugs are prescribed when allergic reactions occur - food or drug allergies. Tavegil, Claritin, Diazolin are relatively inexpensive, but quite effective antihistamine drugs.

For certain indications, ACE inhibitors and vasodilators may be used for vasculitis.

In patients with areas of necrosis on the skin, as well as ulcers, regular dressings are indicated using topical antiseptics, as well as ointments that accelerate epithelialization processes.

Non-drug therapy

• Hemocorrection. It provides for the purification of the patient's blood using a special sorbent. A venous catheter is used to collect blood. After - the blood is passed through a special apparatus, which introduces an absorbent component into it. The blood then returns to the bloodstream. At the same time, the sorbent does its job - it purifies the blood and its components, improves blood circulation and tissue nutrition.
• Immunosorption. A procedure during which the patient's blood is passed through an apparatus filled with an immunosorbent. It is this substance that binds antibodies produced by the immune system, which provoke vascular damage.
• Plasmapheresis. A special method for purifying blood plasma using a special centrifuge. The procedure favorably affects the condition of the vessels, reduces the severity of inflammation, and also prevents the risk of developing renal failure, and generally improves the performance of the kidneys.

Diet

• milk and eggs;
• seafood;
• strawberries and strawberries;
• mango, bananas, citrus fruits;
• some vegetables - bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes;
• canned food;
• chocolate;
• sweet pastries;
• products to which the patient has an individual intolerance.

Preventive actions

The main preventive measures:

• minimizing stress;
• rational and proper nutrition with the exclusion of harmful foods from the diet;
• maintaining body weight within normal limits;
• refusal of any self-treatment - taking medications without a doctor's prescription;
• timely treatment of emerging diseases in order to avoid the transition of ailments into a chronic form;
• maintaining an active lifestyle;
• giving up bad habits - alcohol, smoking, etc.;
• eating a large number of foods rich in vitamins, minerals, micro and macro elements.

Possible Complications

• partial or complete loss of vision;
• stroke or heart attack;
• kidney necrosis;
• ischemic heart disease.

Forecast

If the disease is ignored, the likelihood of severe damage to internal organs and death is high.

Even 10-15 years ago, mortality rates for vasculitis were quite high. In recent years, the number of deaths among patients with this pathology has significantly decreased.

Even when treated with vasculitis in the later stages, the disease is curable, and dysfunction of the internal organs, as a rule, is recoverable.

In general, vasculitis belongs to the category of dangerous pathologies that require complex diagnostics and individually tailored treatment. Making the correct diagnosis and adequate therapy quickly block the pathology, provide a cure - complete or temporary, reduce the likelihood of severe complications and death.

Vasculitis is an autoimmune reaction to human tissues, subject to inflammatory processes in the walls of blood vessels. The disease affects various vessels - large veins and arteries, the smallest venules and arterioles. Depending on which vessel is affected, arteries, phlebitis, arteriolitis and capillaritis are distinguished, but in practical medicine such a division is rarely carried out, combining pathology into vasculitis.

The name of the disease includes pathological processes of various types, however, all of them are characterized by such features as a violation of the normal blood circulation of the vessels and tissue necrosis. Vasculitis are primary and secondary, arising against the background of some kind of pathology, for example, diabetes. Establishing the correct diagnosis and connection with other pathologies is extremely important in order to know how to treat vasculitis and how to counter the aggravation of the symptoms of the disease.

Vasculitis affects both large vessels and small ones. When deep veins and arteries are affected, signs of vasculitis may not appear for a long time, but vasculitis on the body and limbs gives characteristic red spots that do not go away. Nevertheless, lesions of any vessels lead to serious consequences, so vasculitis must be treated as soon as possible.

When signs of vasculitis appear, many patients do not know where to treat the disease, which specialist to contact. If vasculitis is suspected, a consultation with a phlebologist, a vascular specialist, is indicated. The attending physician will examine the patient, and if the diagnosis is confirmed, it will be he who will guide the patient further. Consultations of a therapist, dermatologist, rheumatologist, infectious disease specialist are possible.

A mild degree of vasculitis is usually treated on an outpatient basis, but in severe forms, patients are subject to hospitalization. Doctors also insist on hospitalization of children, pregnant women, patients with hemorrhagic vasculitis and vasculitis in initial stage to observe the dynamics of pathology.

The duration of therapy depends on the degree of the disease. If you stop the disease on early stage, then treatment can take about two months, moderate severity is treated for about six months, and severe vasculitis needs to be treated for about a year or more.

Drug treatment of hemorrhagic and allergic vasculitis

Doctors give encouraging forecasts in the treatment of the disease only at the initial stage of its development, when therapy brings tangible results. Unfortunately, advanced vasculitis is difficult to treat. With the help of patients with this pathology, several fundamental issues are solved:

• achieving stable remission of the disease;
• shortening the relapse period;
• prevention of necrotic changes in tissues;
• prevention of complications;
• increase in the quality of life and its duration.

Conservative therapy for vasculitis involves systemic long-term treatment diseases. Eliminating the symptoms of pathology alone is too little to consider the patient healthy. Is it possible to cure vasculitis - patients who are faced with such a diagnosis for the first time are wondering.

Unfortunately, even with modern technologies, it is not possible to completely slow down autoimmune processes, since this entails other, more serious complications. However, vasculitis is not a death sentence, although it is virtually incurable. Detected at an early stage, vasculitis can be controlled if all the recommendations of doctors are followed. The most important thing for patients suffering from vasculitis is to achieve a long-term remission so that the symptoms of the pathology worsen as rarely as possible.

In the treatment of pathology, for the most part, immunosuppressive drugs are used.

These are drugs that suppress the immune system, preventing it from destroying its own cells. Since, with suppression of immunity, the body is defenseless against various infectious pathologies, in parallel with immunosuppressors, glucocorticosteroid agents, as well as cytostatics, are prescribed.

Prednisolone and Dexamethasone remain one of the commonly prescribed drugs for vasculitis. Through the action of these medications swelling of tissues and blood vessels is eliminated, the risk of ischemic syndrome is significantly reduced. In the acute phase, a loading dose of these drugs is given, and the dosage is calculated individually. But if maintenance therapy is necessary, small doses of the drug can prolong the period of remission and prevent destructive processes in the vascular walls.

In the group of cytostatic drugs, there is a good effect in the treatment of vasculitis with Cyclophosphamide. The same drug is a component of chemotherapy for oncological diseases, because the mechanisms of development pathological changes are largely similar. If the disease is severe, Cyclophosphamide therapy is supplemented with Prednisolone. In parallel, patients should take drugs to expand the lumen of the vessels - these are Complamin, Dicynon, Venoruton, Prodectin or a nicotinic acid. Curantyl, Heparin, Fraxiparin, and Trental will be useful to avoid thrombus formation.

Thrombosis in vasculitis in vessels of any caliber is an extremely severe complication of the pathology.

If the vasculitis has an allergic etiology, then desensitizing agents are added to the above listed agents, for example, injections of calcium chloride every other day, antihistamines. Among the antihistamines, Zirtek, Erius, Claritin, Clarotadin have become widely known. Drugs are selected strictly individually, since standard dosages do not help all patients. The previously used Diazolin and Suprastin are practically not recommended today, since their effect is extremely weak.

At the same time with drug treatment vasculitis of an allergic nature, patients should follow a diet and remove those foods that are allergens for them. It is worth considering that allergens can be not only food, but also drugs. For example, vasculitis can be caused by Lincomycin, Tseporin, Erythromycin. In this case, doctors decide to cancel these drugs and prescribe analogues.

When treating with immunosuppressants, it is very important to carry out maintenance therapy. Therefore, doctors prescribe vitamins - rutin, ascorbic acid, biotin.

Therapy regimens for various degrees of severity of pathology

It is necessary to treat angiitis of varying severity according to different schemes. The first degree of severity of the disease is characterized by vascular damage and the appearance of superficial symptomatic pigmentation spots. The skin is affected by limited small rashes, in which the temperature does not rise, there are no muscle and joint pains. A blood test at the first degree of damage gives normal indicators, with the exception of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which is increased.

For patients suffering from this type of disease, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are indicated, among which Nimesulide, Indomethacin, Meloxicam can be noted. Antibacterial drugs for the treatment of the disease - this is Doxycycline, Ciprofloxacin, Azithromycin.

In order to destroy microbes, quinolines are shown - Chloroquine, Hydroxychloroquine, and as antihistamines Desloratadine, Levocetirizine, Fexofenadine are shown.

In the second degree of severity of the pathology, the condition of patients is characterized by a significant deterioration. The skin is no longer affected locally, but everywhere. Body temperature exceeds subfebrile, and a blood test goes beyond the acceptable limits of most indicators. Patients suffer from weakness, muscle and joint pain, and neuropathy. With this degree of the disease, the treatment regimen is more complex, more drugs from different groups are prescribed.

Patients are prescribed systemic glucocorticoids - Betamethasone, Prednisolone, and to reduce the harmful effects of these drugs on the body, proton pump inhibitors are used, among which omeprazole is important. As with mild cases, patients should take Nimesulide, Doxycycline, or Meloxicam. Antibacterial drugs for patients with severe vasculitis are Azithromycin, Ofloxacin and Amoxicillin.

Antibiotics are essential drugs in the treatment of vasculitis

The drugs Pentoxifylline, Anavenol, Diosmin, Hesperidin are shown as angioprotectors. Among antihistamines, doctors recommend Cetirizine, Ebastine, Levocetirizine. Dextran is used to remove toxins.

Local treatment of vasculitis

External treatment of the skin surface for vasculitis is based on the use of ointments and creams to improve the condition of the vessels. These include Troxevasin, Troxerutin, Iruksol, Solcoseryl. Applications of Dimexide are useful.

With the first degree of skin damage, it is enough to use Betamethasone, Mometasone furoate, Methylprednisolone aceponate ointments. The second degree of skin lesions should be treated with such means as Levomekol, Solcoseryl, Dexamethasone, Actovegin. When wounds occur, vasculitis on the legs, arms and body is recommended to be treated with 2% silver sulfathiazole. Lotions from Trypsin and Chymotrypsin will be useful.

Additional treatments for vasculitis

In addition to conservative medical measures, doctors try to help patients with vasculitis in various other ways. Recently, in the treatment of pathology, not only drugs are used, but also additional treatment methods, such as plasmapheresis, UV irradiation of blood and hemooxygenation - blood oxygen saturation.

Positive results in the treatment of vasculitis are given by extracorporeal hemocorrection. Thanks to this technique, it is possible to purify the blood of patients from various toxic substances and allergens that cause vasculitis. During hemosorption, the blood is purified using sorbents. To do this, blood is taken from a vein and passed through filters in a special apparatus that contain sorbents. Thus, the blood is purified and returned to the patient's bloodstream again. After the procedure, the health of patients is significantly improved, blood circulation and nutrition of even the most distant tissue areas are stimulated.

With the help of hemosorption in patients, it is possible to achieve long-term remission

A variation of such therapy is immunosorption. The principle of the procedure is the same, but the blood is cleaned with an immunosorbent, which removes its own antibodies and complexes from the blood, provoking self-destruction of the walls of blood vessels.

With the help of plasmapheresis, patients do blood purification by separating plasma and blood. Blood cells return to the bloodstream with part of the donor plasma, and then their own purified plasma is injected, passing through the membrane.

Dietary nutrition for vasculitis

It is important for patients suffering from vasculitis to limit themselves in nutrition, in particular, to eliminate from the diet all foods that can cause inflammation or provoke a worsening of the patient's condition. Doctors pay special attention to the correction of nutrition - you need to eat six times a day in small portions so that the body has time to process the incoming products and remove their decay products. To do this, the amount of incoming fluid per day should be at least two liters (if the kidneys are not affected). In order to improve the outflow of urine, salt intake is limited.

With the disease of vasculitis, patients are largely deprived of calcium reserves. To make up for it, fermented milk products with low and medium fat content will be useful. And in order not to provoke a potassium deficiency, you need to eat dried fruits - raisins, prunes and dried apricots. These products can only be banned if the patient is diagnosed with kidney failure.

Traditional medicine remedies

Of course, only folk remedies vasculitis cannot be cured. This complex autoimmune disease requires therapy with a number of pharmaceutical drugs, but this does not mean that folk remedies cannot be used along with them. Before being treated folk methods, it is necessary to coordinate this with the doctor, perhaps the doctor will correct the treatment, or he will prescribe the necessary decoctions and infusions.

To improve blood clotting, herbs will help, which contain vitamin K in sufficient quantities. Thanks to it, clotting is better, there will be no subcutaneous hemorrhages. As a treatment, decoctions of stinging nettle, knotweed, arnica flowers, shepherd's purse, yarrow, St. John's wort are suitable. You should not be too zealous in taking these drugs and exceed the dose, because this can lead to thrombosis, blockage of blood vessels and aggravation of inflammatory processes, which is much worse for a patient with vasculitis.

In the treatment of vasculitis, vitamin K should not be ingested too much - patients should pay attention to the foods they eat

In order to relieve the inflammatory process, it is necessary to brew and make tinctures from knotweed, lingonberries, black currants, elecampane, calendula, licorice root. To strengthen the walls of blood vessels, decoctions of fragrant rue, cranberries, and currants are suitable. Useful green tea and rosehip tea, as well as black chokeberry compote. White cabbage can be added to salads for this purpose. If vasculitis is of an allergic nature, or is accompanied by an allergy, then in order to eliminate it, patients are recommended decoctions of oregano, lemon balm, St. John's wort, black elderberry, nettle, motherwort, and elusive peony.

Skin manifestations of vasculitis can be eliminated with applications from infusions vegetable herbs. Yarrow, mint, elderberry, horsetail will be useful. Cotton cloth is dipped into a decoction of plants and applied to the affected areas for at least half an hour. At night, you can apply birch buds, ground into flour, with nutria fat. Half a kilo of fat is melted to a liquid state, a glass of dry, ground kidneys is placed there, and so the mixture is mixed until smooth. Then the mixture is simmered in an oven over low heat for three hours for seven days. The resulting product can be used the next day, lubricating the surface of the skin at night under a bandage.

Treating vasculitis is an extremely complex and lengthy process. Not all patients manage to achieve a stable remission, but it can already be considered a huge success in the treatment of the disease. This means that the body maximally compensated its forces for the normal maintenance of vital processes and slowed down the destructive processes in the walls of blood vessels.

The site provides background information for informational purposes only. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. All drugs have contraindications. Expert advice is required!

Vasculitis treatment

• childhood;
• vasculitis during pregnancy;
• hemorrhagic vasculitis;
• start and exacerbation of vasculitis.

Medical treatment

Non-drug therapy

Type of procedure	Operating principle	Treatment result
Hemosorption	The blood is cleansed of toxins by contact with a sorbent. A catheter is inserted into a peripheral vein, through which blood is taken and passed through an apparatus that ensures its contact with the sorbent, and then returned to the venous bed.	The sorbent binds toxins and purifies the blood. This stimulates blood circulation and microcirculation, improves tissue nutrition.
Immunosorption	Venous blood is passed through an apparatus filled with immunosorbent.	Immunosorbent is a specially selected drug that binds certain substances and molecules - immune complexes and antibodies that cause vascular damage.
	Blood plasma purification method. Centrifugal plasmapheresis- blood is taken from a peripheral vein. Using a centrifuge, it is separated into blood cells and plasma. Further, the erythrocytes are returned back to the bloodstream with plasma-substituting solutions or donor plasma. At membrane plasmapheresis the plasma is cleared through a special membrane and immediately returned to the bloodstream.	Removal from the blood of immune complexes, antibodies and antigens that cause the development of vasculitis.

Vasculitis is treated by doctors of various specialties: dermatologist, infectious disease specialist, rheumatologist.

Vasculitis of large vessels - temporal arteritis: description, diagnosis, treatment of the disease - video

Granulomatous vasculitis (Wegener's disease, granulomatosis with polyangiitis): what is this disease, signs and symptoms, treatment methods - video

Nutrition for vasculitis

A hypoallergenic diet for vasculitis excludes:

• salty and fried foods;
• mushrooms;
• honey and pollen;
• eggs;
• industrial canned food;
• strong tea;
• alcoholic drinks;
• fruits and berries:
  • citrus fruits - oranges, tangerines, lemons;
  • red apples;
• sweet pastries;
• chips, crackers and other products containing flavors, dyes and flavor enhancers;
• individually intolerant foods.

Vasculitis in children

Vasculitis in children affects the small vessels of the skin, kidneys, joints and digestive organs. The disease causes inflammation and necrosis of the vessel wall and blockage of its lumen by a thrombus, which leads to malnutrition of surrounding tissues. With timely treatment in 70% of children, the symptoms of vasculitis disappear 4-6 weeks after the onset. In 25%, vasculitis passes into the chronic stage of the disease.

Causes

• frequent acute infectious diseases (viral and bacterial);
• infection with helminths (worms);
• vaccination - individual intolerance to the components of the vaccine.

What happens in the child's body. If the immune system is disturbed, specific immune complexes and antibodies appear in the child's blood directed against neutrophils and monocytes. These immune complexes attach to the inner wall of blood vessels, causing them to become inflamed. And antibodies damage neutrophils, releasing enzymes that destroy the cells of the inner surface of blood vessels. As a result, the vascular wall is destroyed, and the blood goes out into the surrounding tissues. Damaged capillaries are unable to provide nutrition to the relevant organs.

Symptoms

• An increase in temperature to 37.5-39 degrees.
• Weakness, lethargy.
• Losing weight or weak weight gain.
• Rash on the skin. It is predominantly located on lower limbs and torso. It looks like small subcutaneous hemorrhages that do not disappear with pressure. At the same time, other elements of the rash can be detected on the skin: nodules, blisters, vesicles filled with a clear or reddish liquid.
• Pain in large joints. Vasculitis is characterized by:
  • symmetrical joint damage;
  • redness and swelling of the affected joints;
  • hemorrhagic rashes (small hemorrhages) on the joints.
• Pain in the abdomen around the navel.
• Digestive disorder:
• Impaired kidney function - back pain and changes in the urine. In the general analysis of urine are found:
  • erythrocytes;
  • protein;
  • cylinders.
• Found in blood
  • elevated white blood cell count;
  • increase in ESR.

Diagnostics

• increased level of ESR;
• C-reactive protein;
• an increase in the number of leukocytes;
• signs of increased blood clotting.

• Ultrasound - reveals lesions of internal organs. It is mainly used to examine the kidneys.
• Dopplerography - assesses the condition of the vessels and the severity of the lesion using ultrasound.
• MRI with the introduction of contrast agents into the blood is used to assess the state of the brain in case of damage to the central nervous system.
• X-ray of organs chest. X-rays may show signs of vasculitis that mimic pneumonia, bronchial inflammation, pleurisy, or tuberculosis.

Treatment of vasculitis in a child

The basis of the treatment of vasculitis in children are glucocorticosteroid hormones. Vitamins and immunomodulators are not used to avoid additional allergization.

In most cases, treatment is carried out in a hospital for 3-6 weeks. The indication for hospitalization is:

• newly diagnosed vasculitis;
• exacerbation of the disease;
• serious condition of the child;
• damage to internal organs;
• profuse eruptions.

• 1st year after discharge - monthly;
• 2nd year - every 3 months;
• 3rd year - every 6 months.

Prevention of exacerbations of the disease in a child

• Children with systemic vasculitis are contraindicated in vaccinations. Vaccines can exacerbate the disease.
• Lessons physical therapy. The set of exercises depends on the nature of the damage and is selected individually in exercise therapy rooms at polyclinics.
• Compliance with the daily routine. It is required to allocate enough time for sleep and rest and avoid overwork.
• Spa treatment in sanatoriums specializing in the treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system and rheumatological diseases. Mineralnye Vody, Pyatigorsk, Saki, Yalta.
• Prevention of frequent infections is based on gradual systematic hardening.
• Complete hypoallergenic nutrition.

Alternative methods of treating vasculitis

Herbal collection reduces the manifestations of allergies, has an anti-inflammatory effect, removes toxins and improves blood circulation. To prepare the collection, mix 3 tablespoons of each ingredient:

• poplar buds;
• calendula flowers;
• inflorescences - leech saliva contains biologically active substances hirudin and viburnum, which reduce blood clotting and prevent the formation of blood clots. Bdellins and eglins reduce the activity of enzymes that cause inflammation. The reflex reaction to a leech bite leads to the activation of hematopoiesis and the improvement of blood properties. The leech is placed on the affected area. The duration of the session is 40-60 minutes. For the treatment of vasculitis, 8-10 sessions are required.

  You should not treat vasculitis yourself with folk remedies. Consult a rheumatologist, he will recommend you proven remedies. Uncontrolled intake of herbal infusions can increase allergies and cause new rashes to appear.

  The consequences of vasculitis

  The deterioration of the blood supply to the tissues around the affected vessels leads to severe damage to the internal organs. Without timely and competent treatment, the consequences of vasculitis can lead to severe disability.

  

  Forecast

  The prognosis for vasculitis depends on the form of the disease and how quickly treatment is started. So, with early therapy with cytostatics in combination with glucocorticosteroids, the five-year survival rate of patients with vasculitis reaches 90%. This means that 9 out of 10 patients live longer than 5 years. Without timely treatment, the five-year survival rate is 5%.

  The prognosis worsens in the following cases:

  • the onset of the disease after 50 years;
  • kidney damage;
  • damage to the gastrointestinal tract;
  • damage to the central nervous system;
  • damage to the aorta and heart vessels.
  This means that people with these conditions need to be attentive to their health and strictly adhere to the treatment regimen. In this case, it is possible to avoid the development of serious complications.

  Prevention of vasculitis

  Effective prevention of vasculitis has not yet been developed. There are general recommendations aimed at preventing impaired immunity and allergies, which are considered trigger factors for the disease.

  Measures to prevent the onset or exacerbation of vasculitis:

  • Sanitation of foci of infection - treatment of carious teeth, chronic tonsillitis, adnexitis;
  • Limiting sun exposure;
  • Exclusion of contact with allergens;
  • Exclusion of stress and hypothermia;
  • Dosed physical activity;
  • Rational use of medicines;
  • Healthy food based on organic products.

Content

This term combines a number of diseases accompanied by inflammation of the vascular walls. For such pathologies, narrowing of blood vessels is characteristic, due to which there is a deterioration in nutrition and oxygen supply to tissues. This is dangerous by disrupting the work of individual organs up to their complete failure, which leads to disability and even death. Vasculitis is still not fully understood, so doctors do not identify the exact causes of development and methods of treating the disease. Therapy of such pathologies is carried out by rheumatologists, and sometimes by infectious disease specialists and dermatologists.

What is vasculitis

A group of autoimmune processes in which inflammation of the arterial or venous walls of human blood vessels occurs is vasculitis. Progressing, the disease disrupts blood flow to some organs, which is fraught with the development of their complications. Based on the cause of development, vasculitis is divided into the following types:

1. Primary. Their etiology has not yet been elucidated, but autoimmune disorders are considered a triggering factor.
2. Secondary. Develop against the background of other diseases - acute or chronic.

These factors, and especially a combination of several at once, can change the antigenic structure of the own walls of blood vessels. As a result, the immune system begins to perceive them as foreign. For this reason, the production of antibodies begins, damaging the vascular walls. This phenomenon triggers inflammatory and degenerative processes in target tissues. Secondary vasculitis is not only immunological disorders. To possible reasons vascular inflammation include the following:

• injuries of different localization and genesis;
• skin burns, including solar ones;
• overheating or hypothermia of the body;
• individual reaction of the body to vaccines or drugs;
• contact with biological poisons or chemicals;
• hereditary predisposition;
• transferred viral hepatitis;
• long fungal diseases including candidiasis.

signs

Vasculitis has many varieties, therefore clinical picture and the severity of symptoms of a particular form of the disease may vary. A typical symptom is hemorrhages in a small area with primary localization on the skin of different parts of the body. With the progression of the disease, they appear in muscle tissue, areas of nerve endings and joint cavities. Doctors identify several other common signs that indicate inflammation of the vascular walls:

• decreased visual acuity;
• bloody stool;
• stomach ache;
• joint pain, arthritis;
• rash;
• heat, headache;
• weight loss;
• sleep disorders;
• prolonged bronchitis, eosinophilic pneumonia, bronchial asthma;
• headaches;
• pleurisy;
• neuropsychiatric disorders;
• seizures;
• changes in the psycho-emotional state;
• pale skin;
• periodic loss of consciousness;
• nausea, vomiting;
• swelling in the temporal region.

Vasculitis classification

In medicine, there are several classifications of this disease. One of the criteria for determining its types is the caliber of vessels. Given this factor, vasculitis disease is divided into the following forms:

1. Capillary. It consists in the defeat of small vessels (capillaries). In this case, there may be: Dego's disease, urticarial vasculitis (urticaria), Schamberg's pigmentary purpura, Wegener's granulomatosis.
2. Arteriolitis. It is an inflammation of medium-sized vessels (arteries and arterioles). It is manifested by lepromatous arteritis, polyarteritis nodosa, Kawasaki disease, familial Mediterranean fever, striatal vasculopathy.
3. Arteritis. This is a lesion of large vessels (artery walls). These include giant cell arteritis, Takayasu's disease, Cogan's syndrome, sarcoidosis, tropical aortitis.
4. Phlebitis. In this form of vasculitis, the walls of the veins become inflamed.
5. Vasculopathy. With this disease, there are no clear signs of inflammatory cell infiltration of the vascular wall.

Due to the development, the disease is divided into two forms: primary (formed as an independent pathology) and secondary (formed against the background of other diseases). Depending on the degree of vascular damage, vasculitis can be:

• mild degree - with a mild rash, burning and itching;
• moderate - with pronounced spots ranging in size from a few millimeters to 1-2 cm, weakness, loss of appetite, pain in the joints;
• severe - with numerous rashes, intestinal and pulmonary bleeding, significant changes in the joints and internal organs.

neurovasculitis

Under the influence of cold or nerves, neurovasculitis may develop. This disease is a reversible inflammation of the vessels of the extremities associated with a disorder of reflex neurogenic reactions to irritation. The reason is the regular effect of temperatures in the range from -2 to +12 degrees against the background of high humidity or a single frostbite.

Neurovasculitis occurs in adults over 25 years of age who work in damp, cold environments. Depending on the stage of the disease, a person has the following symptoms:

1. First. It is accompanied by chilliness of the feet, pallor and cyanosis, but without swelling of the extremities.
2. Second. At the end of the working day, edema appears, cyanosis and hyperesthesia of the skin, pain in the feet during compression are noted.
3. Third. Edema at this stage does not go away, the pain becomes burning, ulcers develop, ascending thrombophlebitis.

rheumatic vasculitis

This is one of the varieties rheumatoid arthritis. The mechanism of development of rheumatic vasculitis is associated with immune processes that are involved in the development of arthritis. In almost all patients, such vascular inflammation is accompanied by general inflammatory manifestations: fever, severe weight loss. Clinical manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis are included in the group of extra-articular symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. These include the following signs:

• peripheral gangrene;
• scleritis;
• mononeuritis;
• pericarditis;
• disruption of the lungs;
• damage to the skin of the periungual bed.

perivasculitis

All vasculitis are classified into types depending on the location of the inflammation. If the inner vascular layer is affected, then this is endovasculitis, if the middle layer is mesovasculitis. When the tissues adjacent to the blood vessel become inflamed, the disease is called perivasculitis. With it, the arterial wall is completely destroyed. As a result, it breaks, inflammation of the outer layer of blood vessels and connective tissue begins.

As the disease progresses, it can lead to gangrene or necrosis. The most common type of perivasculitis is polyarteritis nodosa. It affects the following small and medium-sized vessels:

• brain;
• renal;
• hepatic;
• coronary;
• mesenteric.

autoimmune vasculitis

This type of vasculitis has many different causes. One of the provoking factors is genetic predisposition. Vessels of certain sizes are affected different types autoimmune vasculitis:

• large - giant cell and Takayasu's arteritis;
• medium - nodular and microscopic polyarteritis, Kawasaki disease, Wegener's disease, Behcet's disease.

The clinical picture is determined by the type of autoimmune vasculitis. Primary signs are manifested in skin lesions: its sensitivity increases or decreases. Against this background, there are: incomplete paralysis of the arms and legs, insomnia, syndrome chronic fatigue, fever, poor appetite. The disease is characterized by an undulating course, i.e. periods of remission are replaced by exacerbations. The latter occur mainly in the cold season. Depending on the type of disease, a person may experience the following symptoms of vasculitis:

1. Hematological. Causes chest pain, cough with copious sputum, shortness of breath, weakness, kidney failure.
2. Rheumatoid. Accompanied by pain in the limbs, fainting, mental disorders. May lead to stroke.
3. Arteritis Takayasu. It is noted mainly in women 15-20 years old. Symptoms of the disease: fever, headache, dizziness, weight loss. After 5-10 years, pathology can lead to a heart attack.
4. Wegener's disease. It is indicated by cough, shortness of breath, prolonged rhinitis, sinusitis or sinusitis, runny nose and discharge of mucus from the nose with blood impurities, deformity of the saddle and nasal septum, impaired renal function, protrusion of the eyeballs. Half of the patients develop conjunctivitis or ischemia of the optic nerve.
5. Behçet's disease. Accompanied by stomatitis, ulcers and erosions on the genitals, inflammation of the eyes.

Hemorrhagic vasculitis

This type of vascular inflammation is more common in children than in adults. Boys aged 4-12 are especially prone to developing this disease. Pathology is an aseptic (non-infectious) inflammation of the capillaries caused by the damaging effect of immune complexes. The main signs of the disease are hemorrhages (hemorrhages), disorders of blood circulation in small vessels and a violation of its intravascular coagulability. Depending on the clinical course pathology is:

• renal;
• abdominal (from the side of the abdomen);
• skin;
• articular;
• combined.

The disease often develops after the flu, acute tonsillitis or scarlet fever. The causes may also be drug allergies, hypothermia, genetic predisposition. The hallmarks of hemorrhagic vasculitis are:

• purple rash on the legs, knees, hands, or abdomen;
• pain in the ankle joints, leading to difficulty in motor function;
• stomach ache;
• kidney damage.

Allergic

The main cause of this type of vascular inflammation is an allergy to various external or internal factors: regular medication (sulfonamides, barbiturates, analgesics), chemical products, infections. Due to the reaction of the immune system to them, allergic vasculitis develops. It often proceeds without the involvement of internal organs in the pathological process. Depending on the caliber of the affected vessels, allergic vasculitis is divided into the following types:

1. Surface. It affects small venules and arteries of the skin, capillaries. Inflammation is manifested by hemosiderosis, Ruther's allergic arteriolitis, nodular necrotizing vasculitis.
2. Deep. The pathological process involves arteries and veins of medium and large caliber located in the subcutaneous fat and on its border with the dermis. Pathology is manifested by acute and chronic erythema nodosum.

necrotizing

This type of disease is rare, especially in children. Pathology is accompanied by extensive skin necrosis, fever, chills, weight loss and fatigue. Sometimes there is an increase in the cervical lymph nodes, bilateral purulent conjunctivitis, swelling of the hand and feet. Necrotizing vasculitis develops more often as a complication of other forms of this disease. The following signs are observed on the skin:

• small papules on the skin - each vesicle with transparent contents;
• redness of the skin;
• blue fingers or toes;
• non-healing wounds and ulcers;
• joint pain;
• numbness, tingling in the limbs;
• speech disorders;
• blood in urine or stool.

Diagnostics

The first step in the diagnosis of the disease is a careful examination of the patient by a doctor. The difficulty lies in the fact that not all patients immediately turn to a rheumatologist, and the disease sometimes goes into remission, which creates the illusion of recovery. If vasculitis is suspected, the doctor prescribes a number of laboratory, instrumental and morphological studies:

1. Serological. Blood is examined for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, which helps to identify microscopic polyangiitis, Wegener's granulomatosis, Churg-Strauss syndrome. Additionally, they are examined for rheumatoid factor to rule out rheumatic disease and cryoglobulins to differentiate vascular inflammation from Goodpasture's syndrome.
2. Visceral angiography. Before the procedure, a contrast agent is injected intravenously to study the blood flow through the vessels. The study itself is carried out using x-rays.
3. Doppler ultrasound. This procedure evaluates the intensity of blood flow in the vessels, which makes it possible to judge its violations.
4. Computed and magnetic resonance imaging. They help to visualize changes in the structure of internal organs.
5. An extended blood test. Inflammation is indicated by an increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and an increase in the number of leukocytes.
6. Analysis of urine. Pathology is confirmed by the excess in urine of the normal amount of C-reactive protein and the presence of blood elements.
7. Aortography. This is an x-ray examination of the aorta based on image acquisition after it has been filled with a contrast agent.

Vasculitis treatment

The goal of treating the disease is to reduce the aggression of the person's own immune system. This is necessary to achieve remission and prevent subsequent relapses. Additionally, measures are taken to prevent irreversible damage to tissues and organs. In general, the treatment regimen includes the following activities:

1. Taking medication. The patient is shown drugs that reduce the synthesis of antibodies and tissue sensitivity. Abnormal activity of the immune system is suppressed with the help of glucocorticoids. If they do not give an effect, then chemotherapy with the use of cytostatics is used. With their use, the prognosis is favorable: 90% of patients live after treatment with these drugs for more than 5 years. With the bacterial nature of the disease, the patient is prescribed antibiotics. In mild cases, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are indicated.
2. Carrying out extracorporeal hemocorrection. This includes blood purification techniques, such as hemosorption, plasmapheresis, immunosorption.
3. Diet food. The diet is selected taking into account the reasons that led to inflammation of the vessels. Additionally, the possibility of developing allergies is excluded. The patient must follow the diet during the exacerbation and for some time after it.

During the acute stage, the patient is shown bed rest. This contributes to the disappearance of the rash on the skin and the stabilization of blood circulation. A week after the appearance of the first rashes, a gradual expansion of the regimen begins. Treatment can be done at home or in a hospital. The main indications for hospitalization are moderate and severe forms of the disease. Therapy in the hospital is also necessary in the following cases:

• hemorrhagic form of the disease;
• the development of vascular inflammation during pregnancy;
• exacerbation of the disease or its appearance for the first time;
• childhood.

Medical therapy

Certain drugs for vasculitis are prescribed only by a doctor, taking into account the severity of the disease and the patient's examination data. With a recurrent form of the disease, drugs have to be taken in courses of 4-6 months . With a mild course, the treatment lasts 8-12 weeks, with a moderate course - about a year. Depending on the form of the pathology, the doctor may prescribe the following groups of drugs:

1. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: Ortofen, Piroxicam. They relieve joint pain, reduce swelling and the severity of skin rashes.
2. Antiplatelet agents: Aspirin, Curantil. They thin the blood by inhibiting the adhesion of platelets, which helps prevent the formation of blood clots.
3. Glucocorticosteroids: Prednisolone. It is a first-line drug of choice that has an immunosuppressive effect. Additionally, Prednisolone has a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect, therefore it is necessarily prescribed for severe disease.
4. Anticoagulants: Heparin. By slowing down blood clotting, the risk of developing blood clots is eliminated.
5. Cytostatics: Azathioprine. They are prescribed for the ineffectiveness of corticosteroids, the presence of contraindications to their use, or the rapid progression of the pathology. The function of Azathioprine is the suppression of cellular immunity reactions.
6. Enterosorbents: Nutriclinz, Thioverol. Bind and remove toxins from the body formed during the illness.
7. Antihistamines: Suprastin, Tavegil. Their intake is rational only at the initial stage of the disease in children if they have food or drug allergies.

Gravitational blood surgery

This method of treatment includes methods of cleansing the blood of substances that cause the disease or aggravate its course. Among these procedures are the following:

1. Immunosorption. It involves passing venous blood through an apparatus filled with immunosorbent. This is a special drug that binds antibodies and immune complexes that damage blood vessels.
2. Hemosorption. Blood is passed through an apparatus with a sorbent, which also purifies it of antibodies, immune complexes and antibodies. It helps to get rid of toxins, stimulate blood circulation and improve tissue nutrition.
3. Plasmapheresis. Blood from a peripheral vein is passed through a centrifuge, where the fluid is separated into red blood cells and plasma. Then the blood cells are returned back to the bloodstream with donor plasma or plasma-substituting solutions. This removes antibodies, antigens and immune complexes from the blood.

Diet food

The diet for vasculitis should be hypoallergenic. This is necessary to exclude factors that provoke inflammation of the vessels. The patient should give up fried foods and switch to stews. The menu is recommended to include fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, dried fruits and cereals. The following foods should be removed from the diet:

• citrus fruits - tangerines, oranges, lemons;
• red apples, strawberries, strawberries;
• sweet pastries;
• eggs;
• salty dishes;
• alcohol;
• strong tea;
• coffee, chocolate;
• chips, crackers, flavor enhancers;
• honey, pollen;
• mushrooms;
• industrial cans.

Prevention of vasculitis

Since the primary form of the disease does not have a well-defined cause, its prevention is difficult. In this case, it is only rational to strengthen the immune system by taking immunomodulating drugs. Additionally, it is necessary to harden the body with cold douches, swimming, winter swimming. Proper nutrition, combined with regular physical activity, also helps to strengthen the immune system.

Prevention of the secondary form of the disease has more principles. It is important to exclude from your life the factors that are the causes of vasculitis. With this in mind, the following recommendations should be followed:

• eliminate prolonged stress;
• carry out rehabilitation of chronic foci of infection;
• Healthy food;
• observe the sleep and rest regimen;
• avoid prolonged exposure to the body of allergens and environmental factors associated with occupational hazards.

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