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Question: What medication should be taken for vasculitis?
Answer:
Vasculitis refers to inflammation of blood vessels. This inflammation can result in thickening, narrowing, and weakening of blood vessels. In more severe cases this can lead to decreased blood flow to tissues or organs.
Symptoms of vasculitis can include numbness or weakness, fatigue, fever, muscle pain, joint pain, and others. Symptoms largely depend on the vessels that are affected.
The cause of vasculitis is often unknown. In other cases the cause of vasculitis is identified and can be related to certain types of infections such as hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, or allergic reactions.
Some types of vasculitis go away without treatment; however some forms require treatment with medications. Treatment can be largely variable depending on the type of vasculitis and the symptoms.
Medications often include:
Answer:
Vasculitis refers to inflammation of blood vessels. This inflammation can result in thickening, narrowing, and weakening of blood vessels. In more severe cases this can lead to decreased blood flow to tissues or organs.
Symptoms of vasculitis can include numbness or weakness, fatigue, fever, muscle pain, joint pain, and others. Symptoms largely depend on the vessels that are affected.
The cause of vasculitis is often unknown. In other cases the cause of vasculitis is identified and can be related to certain types of infections such as hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, or allergic reactions.
Some types of vasculitis go away without treatment; however some forms require treatment with medications. Treatment can be largely variable depending on the type of vasculitis and the symptoms.
Medications often include:
· Corticosteroids: These include medications such as prednisone or methylprednisolone. These medications are used to decrease inflammation. These are often used for a specific period of time and then gradually tapered down and discontinued.
· NSAIDs: Non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs or “NSAIDs” are sometimes used for more mild symptoms, but often do not provide adequate relief. As their name implies, they are used to decrease inflammation and pain. These include medications such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Alleve, Naprosyn).
When corticosteroids aren’t effective, some other medications might be used. Medications such as azathioprine (Imuran) and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) suppress the body’s immune response and therefore also decrease triggers that cause inflammation. These can also cause more side effects than some other medications. Therefore, these are usually reserved for when other medications do not work.
Answer Posted: July 21, 2008