Differential Diagnosis between the Varieties of Vasculitis Forms

Abstract

Vasculitis is an inflammation of the blood vessels. It can affect any blood vessel in the body by manifesting a variety of systemic, non-specific symptoms that make difficult the diagnosis of this pathology and especially its specific form. In front of any patient suspected of being affected by vasculitis, some questions are asked: Is the vasculitis or other pathology that camouflages, whether it is primary or secondary vasculitis, in which vessels this pathology extends, how can the diagnosis be confirmed and how can it be determined the type of vasculitis?The purpose of this study is to inform about the protocols to be followed to perform differential diagnosis of vasculitis types.This study is a review based on the research of world studies and literature regarding the recommendations for performing differential diagnosis among the variety of vasculitis forms.Primary patient assessment involves taking the history of the medications it uses, risk factors for infectious pathology, history of cardiac valve pathologies, and autoimmune pathologies. Then laboratory and imaging studies are carried out, aiming at setting the diagnosis, determining the affected organ and the degree of disease activity. And recently we refer to algorithms to make differential diagnosis between the varieties of vasculitis forms.Despite the diagnostic difficulties of vasculitis, the variety of its forms, the separation of responsibilities among many specialities, there are protocols that need to be followed rigorously to arrive at a safe diagnosis as well as auxiliary algorithms to distinguish the type of vasculitis.