Best Doctors for Vasculitis in Mumbai

Types/Stages of Vasculitis

Vasculitis manifests in various types based on the size and location of the affected blood vessels. These include:

• Giant cell arteritis: This type typically affects older adults and can lead to blindness if untreated due to inflammation of the temporal arteries.

• Polyarteritis nodosa: This type impacts medium-sized arteries and presents with symptoms like fever, fatigue, and joint pain.

• Kawasaki disease: Common among children, it inflames the blood vessels, particularly in the coronary arteries, if not promptly treated.

• Takayasu arteritis: Impacts the aorta and its branches causing fever, fatigue and joint pain.

Symptoms of Vasculitis

Vasculitis can present with a variety of symptoms, depending on the type and affected body part:

• General discomfort like fever, headache, fatigue, weight loss and aches

• Organ-based symptoms like chest pain, impaired breathing or coughing up blood

• Sensory disturbances like impaired vision or nerve damage

• Skin changes like sores or lesions, rashes or discolouration

Tests to Diagnose Vasculitis

The best doctors specialising in vasculitis treatment use a comprehensive process to diagnose the condition:

• Physical examination and health history review: Doctors evaluate symptoms like fever, fatigue, and organ-specific issues (like chest pain or neurological symptoms), and review medical history for autoimmune diseases or recent infections to assess potential risk factors.

• Blood and laboratory tests: This includes anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody tests to detect certain types of vasculitis. Other tests, like erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein, measure inflammation markers.

• Biopsy: A biopsy involves taking a small sample of tissue from an affected blood vessel or organ to examine under a microscope to confirm inflammation and diagnose the type of vasculitis.

• Imaging tests: Ultrasound, CT scans, or MRI scans are used to visualise blood vessels, locate affected areas, and assess damage caused by vasculitis.

Treatment or Surgery Options for Vasculitis at Apollo Hospitals, Mumbai

At Apollo Hospitals in Mumbai, treatment options offered by the best specialists in vasculitis typically involve a combination of medications and lifestyle changes. These include:

• Immunosuppressive drugs: Drugs like cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, methotrexate, and mycophenolate mofetil are used to suppress the immune system and reduce inflammation.

• Steroids: Corticosteroids like prednisone or methylprednisolone are commonly prescribed to reduce inflammation.

• Biological therapies: Rituximab may be used to target specific immune cells involved in vasculitis.

  For severe cases, surgical options may be considered:

• Angioplasty: A minimally invasive procedure to widen narrowed blood vessels to improve blood flow.

• Stenting: A stent is placed in a narrowed blood vessel to improve blood flow.

• Surgical resection: This involves removing damaged or affected blood vessels.