Cardiovascular Disease in the Systemic Vasculitides

The vasculitides are a heterogeneous group of disorders, characterized by inflammatory cell infiltration and necrosis of blood vessels that cause vascular obstruction or aneurysm formation, affecting various organs such as lungs, kidneys, skin and joints. Cardiac involvement is commonly encountered in primary systemic vasculitis and it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Depending on the dominant pathophysiological mechanism,...