Clinical Immunology focuses on the immune system’s health. Learn about the diagnosis and treatment of allergies, autoimmune diseases, and immunodeficiencies.
Send us all your questions or requests, and our expert team will assist you.
Vasculitis refers to a group of rare conditions where blood vessels become inflamed because the immune system attacks them by mistake. This swelling can thicken the vessel walls and narrow the passage, which may limit blood flow and harm organs or tissues. Vasculitis can affect arteries, veins, or capillaries, and it may last for a short time or become a long-term issue.
Sometimes, vasculitis only affects the skin, but it can also cause serious problems in organs like the lungs, kidneys, or brain. Doctors classify vasculitis by the size of the blood vessels involved, from large to small. Knowing the exact type is important because treatment and outlook can be very different.
Vasculitis happens when immune cells, mainly white blood cells, enter the vessel wall and damage its structure. This can start when immune complexes build up or when T-cells attack the lining of the vessels. As inflammation develops, the vessel may narrow and reduce blood flow, or it may weaken and form a bulge called an aneurysm, which can burst and cause dangerous bleeding. In small vessels, inflammation can make them break, leading to bleeding under the skin that often appears as purple spots.
Vasculitis is mainly an autoimmune disease. Normally, the immune system protects the body from germs like bacteria and viruses. In vasculitis, it cannot tell the difference between foreign invaders and the body’s own cells. Certain antibodies, such as ANCA, are important in some types of vasculitis. These antibodies attach to neutrophils, a kind of white blood cell, and make them release substances that harm blood vessel walls. This reaction can be set off by infections, medicines, or other immune problems, but often the exact cause is unknown.
The most widely accepted classification system for vasculitides is the Chapel Hill Consensus Conference classification, which categorizes the diseases based on the predominant vessel size involved.
This category primarily affects the aorta and its major branches.
This group affects medium-sized arteries and is often associated with aneurysms and tissue death.
This category affects the smallest blood vessels, including arterioles, capillaries, and venules.
A significant subset of small vessel vasculitides is termed ANCA-associated vasculitis.
Some forms of vasculitides do not fit neatly into the size-based classification because they can affect vessels of any size.
Vasculitis can also occur as a secondary condition to other diseases or exposures.
The distribution of vasculitides varies significantly by age, gender, and geography.
Send us all your questions or requests, and our expert team will assist you.
A urologist is a surgeon trained to treat conditions of the urinary tract in both men and women. A urogynecologist has specific training in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, focusing on conditions like bladder prolapse and female incontinence.
The bladder lining (urothelium) has a high regenerative capacity and heals quickly after minor trauma or infection. However, the muscle layer (detrusor) does not regenerate well. If the muscle is damaged by chronic overdistention or fibrosis, the loss of function is often permanent.
Yes, psychological stress can exacerbate bladder symptoms. The bladder has many nerve receptors sensitive to stress hormones. “Stress incontinence” refers to physical pressure (coughing/sneezing), but anxiety can trigger “urgency” and frequency, mimicking Overactive Bladder symptoms.
Yes, the bladder’s functional capacity tends to decrease with age. Furthermore, the elasticity of the bladder wall reduces, and the kidneys produce more urine at night (nocturnal polyuria), leading to increased nighttime urination in older adults.
Neurogenic bladder is a term used when the nerve control of the bladder is disrupted due to a brain, spinal cord, or nerve condition (like diabetes or MS). This can cause the bladder to either be unable to hold urine (incontinence) or unable to empty it (retention).
Leave your phone number and our medical team will call you back to discuss your healthcare needs and answer all your questions.
Your Comparison List (you must select at least 2 packages)
