Vasculitis can be difficult to diagnose and may have many symptoms that can look very similar to those of other diseases. Some types of vasculitis which mainly affect older patients are not described on this page. There are other forms of vasculitis where it is not clear into which category they fit, but these are very rare in children and will be recognised by specialised children’s doctors. Some types of vasculitis affect mainly the skin and others can affect internal organs with more serious complications. Large artery – includes Takayasu’s arteritis.Medium artery – includes Polyarteritis Nodosa, Kawasaki disease.Small artery – includes Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), Churg-Strauss syndrome.Small vessel – usually involves the skin such as Henoch-Schönlein Purpura.There are many types of vasculitis and they are usually defined by the size of the blood vessels which are involved. On rare occasions, vasculitis may cause the wall of a blood vessel to weaken and develop a bulge (aneurysm) that can rupture and bleed. If the blood flow through the blood vessels is reduced or stops, the tissue may begin to die. The inside of the blood vessel may also narrow, which reduces the amount of blood able to flow through it or it may become blocked by a blood clot.

If a larger blood vessel becomes inflamed, it may swell to produce a lump that you can feel under the skin. When a small blood vessel becomes inflamed, it can break and bleed into the surrounding tissue, causing small red or purple dots on the skin. There are arteries (which carry blood away from the heart), veins (which carry blood to the heart) and capillaries (tiny blood vessels) through which the blood travels to all tissues and organs. This page from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) explains about vasculitis, what causes it and how it can be treated.īlood is carried around the body in tubes or vessels these are different in size and have different names. Vasculitis is a word used to describe various diseases causing inflammation of the blood vessels. PLEASE NOTE in the light of the current coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, we have created an FAQ with COVID-19 information for children, young people and families at GOSH. Staying safe at GOSH and outside the hospitalĬoming to GOSH for a day or inpatient admissionĬoming to GOSH for an outpatient appointment Our new visiting guideline after COVID-19

Pinpoint red dots on skin that bleed