What does vasculitis mean?
Vasculitis is the medical term for inflammation of the walls of blood vessels. It is not one single disorder but a group of conditions that may affect arteries, veins, or the smallest vessels and can involve different organs. When inflamed, vessel walls may become thickened and narrow, encourage the formation of clots, or weaken and leak. Consequently, the symptoms vary with the vessels involved: a person might develop a rash, abdominal pain, breathing difficulties, or signs of impaired blood flow to an organ. Vasculitis can also be part of a wider autoimmune or systemic illness, although some forms occur alone. The word is used mainly by doctors and researchers, and a definite diagnosis normally depends on clinical findings and sometimes tissue testing. The term is useful because it identifies a specific inflammatory process affecting the vascular system rather than the broader, often nonspecific problem of poor circulation.
nounVasculitis is inflammation of the walls of blood vessels, which can cause them to narrow, become blocked, or leak.
- Inflammation affecting the walls of one or more blood vessels.
"Her biopsy showed evidence of vasculitis, an inflammation affecting the small blood vessels."
"The patient was treated with corticosteroids after tests confirmed cutaneous vasculitis."
"Vasculitis is a formal medical term rather than a casual description of poor circulation."
The plural is uncommon in ordinary clinical writing, where vasculitis is often used without inflection. It is especially useful when referring collectively to different forms of the disease.
"The major vasculitides differ in the vessels they affect and in their underlying causes."
A disorder of the body's internal plumbing can produce symptoms almost anywhere in the body.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How vasculitis is actually used
This is a specialized medical term used chiefly in clinical and scientific contexts. It is normally uncountable when referring to the condition as a whole, although the plural vasculitides is used especially when discussing several distinct forms of the disease.
Easily confused with vasculitis
Vasculitis specifically means inflammation of blood-vessel walls, whereas vasculopathy is a broader term for disease or damage affecting blood vessels.