vasculitis

[vas″ku-li´tis]

inflammation of a blood or lymph vessel; see arteritis, lymphangitis, and phlebitis. Called also angiitis.

Churg-Strauss vasculitis churg-strauss syndrome.

hypersensitivity vasculitis a group of systemic necrotizing vasculitides thought to represent hypersensitivity to an antigenic stimulus, such as a drug, infectious agent, or exogenous or endogenous protein; all disorders in this group involve the small vessels.

necrotizing vasculitis see systemic necrotizing vasculitis.

nodular vasculitis a chronic vasculitis of unknown etiology found predominantly below the knees, especially on the calves in young and middle-aged women, characterized by the presence of painful, reddish blue nodular lesions that may ulcerate, leaving scars, or resorb, leaving atrophic depressions. In the late stages, there is replacement of the subcutaneous fat by fibrosis and atrophy (wucher atrophy).

systemic necrotizing vasculitis any of a group of disorders characterized by inflammation and necrosis of blood vessels, occurring in a broad spectrum of cutaneous and systemic disorders. It includes Churg-Strauss syndrome, polyarteritis nodosa, the various kinds of hypersensitivity vasculitis, and other conditions. Called also necrotizing vasculitis.

nod·u·lar vas·cu·li·tis

chronic or recurrent nodular lesions of subcutaneous tissue, especially of the legs of older women, with lobular panniculitis, granulomatous inflammation with multinucleated giant cells, focal necrosis, and obliterative inflammation of the small blood vessels, resembling erythema induratum but without evidence of associated tuberculosis.