Vasculitis, Upper Gastrointestinal

Synonyms

Gastrointestinal angiitis; Gastrointestinal manifestations of vasculitis; Localized vasculitis of the gastrointestinal tract; Vasculitides of the gastrointestinal tract

Definition

Vasculitis is a general term for a group of uncommon diseases that are defined by inflammation of the blood vessel walls. Each of the vasculitis diseases has a characteristic distribution of blood vessels, pattern of organ involvement, and laboratory test abnormalities. The actual causes of vasculitides are unknown, but they are generally associated to an immune system abnormality. They are grouped as primary or secondary and localized or systemic. The primary systemic vasculitides are rare and affect blood vessels that may manifest as self-limiting illnesses with a good prognosis (e.g., childhood Henoch-Schonlein purpura) to multi-organ failure with a high rate of mortality if left untreated (e.g., Wegener’s granulomatosis). Secondary vasculitides are those caused by underlying rheumatic connective...