About our center: Vasculitis is an uncommon disorder characterized by blood vessel inflammation. Any blood vessel in the body can be involved. More than 20 different disorders comprise this unique class of inflammatory diseases. Though each disorder is rare when compared to more prevalent diseases like diabetes or coronary artery disease, the total number of patients affected by vasculitis is large and morbidity is great. The prevalence of these diseases range anywhere from 1 person in 100,000 up to 20 in 100,000 depending on the type of vasculitis a patient has. Due to the rarity of vasculitis, the diagnosis is often made late in the disease course and appropriate treatment can be delayed. Though current therapy has substantially reduced the mortality rate associated with certain vasculitides, morbidity from disease damage or medication toxicity is an increasing problem. For patients with Wegener's granulomatosis—a vasculitis of small- and medium-sized blood vessels—nearly 1/3 of patients develop permanent disability from their disease over a median of 5 years from the start of symptoms. Furthermore, 1,500 people are hospitalized each year with Wegener's. The mortality rate for those admitted with Wegener's is approximately 11%. To help reduce morbidity and mortality associated with vasculitis, more tertiary care centers with skill in treating these disorders are needed. With the creation of the University of Utah Vasculitis Center, expert care for patients afflicted with vasculitis is now available in the Western United States. The comprehensive medical care for patients with vasculitis in the Western United States has long been underserved. Academic centers clustered mostly in the Midwest and Eastern United States and Canada have played pivotal roles in the care of patients with vasculitis. Due to high travel costs, many patients can not afford to be evaluated and cared for at these centers. The University of Utah Vasculitis Center was established in 2007 as a tertiary referral center for patients afflicted with different forms of vasculitis. For most patients with vasculitis, a team approach is necessary to provide adequate care. Our center has a wide array of specialists dedicated to treating the different manifestations of these diseases. Expert care is available in rheumatology, ENT, vascular medicine, pulmonology, airway disorders, and nephrology. We also provide the latest in diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing. The goals of our center are to provide expert, comprehensive care for patients with vasculitis, make available experimental therapies for patients who have failed more conventional treatments, conduct high-quality basic science and clinical research in vasculitis, and train new physicians with expertise in diagnosing and treating vasculitic disorders. |
Common types of vasculitis include: Giant Cell Arteritis (also called Temporal Arteritis) Polymyalgia Rheumatica Takayasu's Arteritis Polyarteritis Nodosa Kawasaki Disease Central Nervous System Vasculitis Wegener's Granulomatosis Microscopic Polyangiitis Churg-Strauss Syndrome Rheumatoid Vasculitis Cryoglobulinemic Vasculitis Henoch-Schönlein Purpura Relapsing Polychondritis Behçet's Syndrome |
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What we treat: Vasculitis is a general term that means inflammation of blood vessels. Blood vessel inflammation is the pathological foundation for a heterogeneous group of diseases that can affect any person at anytime. For most vasculitides, the cause is unknown. Vasculitis may lead to organ failure by causing critical artery narrowing or bleeding through a weak blood vessel wall. Vasculitis may be widespread, affecting many different organs, or it may be isolated to only one organ. For most patients, the cause of vasculitis is not known. However, vasculitis may be caused by certain medications, infections, connective tissue diseases, or cancer. Vasculitis may be temporary, lasting only as long as a patient is exposed to a causative medication or infection; or it may be chronic, requiring long term medications to control the disease. Vasculitis is rare and may affect any organ in the body. Racial and gender predilection do occur in some types of vasculitis. Depending on the site of vascular involvement, treatment may be surgical and/or require systemic medications.
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