29th January 2024

Types of vasculitis

Based on the size of the vessel affected, vasculitides can be classified into small-vessel, medium-vessel or large-vessel vasculitis.

Largest arteries: aorta and major branches

• Giant cell arteritis (temporal arteritis) 
• Takayasu’s arteritis
• Aortitis in Cogan’s syndrome
• Aortitis in spondyloarthropathies
• Isolated aortitis

Medium-sized arteries

• Kawasaki disease
• Polyarteritis nodosa

Small and medium-sized arteries

• ANCA-associated vasculitis: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener’s granulomatosis), Microscopic polyangiitis, Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss syndrome)
• Thromboangiitis obliterans 
• Primary angiitis of the central nervous system

Small arteries

• IgA Vasculitis (Henoch-Schönlein)
• Vasculitis related to rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s syndrome
• Cryoglobulinemic vasculitis
• Drug-induced vasculitis

Arteries and veins of various sizes

• Behçet’s disease
• Relapsing polychondritis

References

• About vasculitis, Vasculitis UK. Available at: https://www.vasculitis.org.uk/about-vasculitis [Accessed 28th January 2022].
• Vasculitides, Amboss. Available at: https://www.amboss.com/us/knowledge/Vasculitides/ [Accessed 17th January 2022].
• Vasculitis, Versus Arthritis. Available at: https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/vasculitis/[Accessed 15th January 2022].