The term cerebral vasculitis (arteritis, angiitis) encompasses
several inflammatory vasculitides that lead to stenosis, occlusion, or rupture of an artery, capillary
, or venule in the central nervous system (Lie, 1997). These diseases also affect the peripheral nervous system.
What are the symptoms of cerebral vasculitis?
- New, severe headaches.
- Strokes or transient ischemic attacks (mini-strokes)
- Significant forgetfulness or confusion.
- Weakness, especially of the limbs.
- Loss of balance and gait disturbance.
- Vision loss.
- Seizures.
What causes arteritis?
No one knows what causes
arteritis. It’s believed to be an autoimmune disorder. Your immune cells attack the walls of your major blood vessels, causing varying degrees of damage. The immune bodies inside your blood vessels form nodules called granulomas that block blood flow to other parts of your body.
Can cerebral vasculitis be cured?
There is no cure for CNS vasculitis
at this time, however it is treatable. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to prevent potentially life-threatening loss of brain function or stroke. Other diseases often have the same symptoms as CNS vasculitis, so accurate diagnosis involves ruling out these conditions.
How serious is cerebral vasculitis?
CNS vasculitis is a serious condition. The inflamed vessel wall can block the flow of oxygen to the brain, causing a loss of brain function and ultimately strokes. In some cases, CNS vasculitis is
life-threatening
. It’s important to get treatment for this condition.
What is the life expectancy of someone with vasculitis?
Since 2010, the mean survival changed from
99.4 to 126.6 months
, more than two years. Patients with higher disease activity at diagnosis, determined by the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score, also were found to have a poorer prognosis.
What causes neuroinflammation?
Neuroinflammation refers to the process whereby the brain’s innate immune system is triggered following
an inflammatory challenge
such as those posed by injury, infection, exposure to a toxin, neurodegenerative disease, or aging.
What happens if temporal arteritis goes untreated?
Most often, it affects the arteries in your head, especially those in your temples. For this reason, giant cell arteritis is sometimes called temporal arteritis. Giant cell arteritis frequently causes headaches, scalp tenderness, jaw pain and vision problems. Untreated,
it can lead to blindness
.
Is arteritis serious?
Temporal arteritis is a
rare but serious autoimmune disease
. Temporal arteritis is a potentially serious condition with many complications if left untreated. Temporal arteritis, also known as giant cell arteritis, is an inflammation of the arteries around the scalp and neck region.
What does temporal arteritis pain feel like?
The most common symptom of temporal arteritis is
a throbbing, continuous headache on one or both sides of the forehead
. Other symptoms may include: Fatigue.
Does vasculitis shorten life span?
Is Vasculitis likely to shorten your life? This depends on the type of vasculitis, its severity and whether damage has occurred.
Damage to the kidney is the most common cause of a shortened life span
. Very severe vasculitis presentations can be fatal.
What happens if vasculitis is left untreated?
A blood clot may form in a blood vessel, obstructing blood flow. Rarely, vasculitis will cause a blood vessel to weaken and bulge, forming an aneurysm (AN-yoo-riz-um).
Vision loss or blindness
. This is a possible complication of untreated giant cell arteritis.
What are the symptoms of not having enough blood flow to the brain?
- slurred speech.
- sudden weakness in the limbs.
- difficulty swallowing.
- loss of balance or feeling unbalanced.
- partial or complete loss of vision or double vision.
- dizziness or a spinning sensation.
- numbness or a tingling feeling.
- confusion.
Can you drive if you have vasculitis?
Having your own vehicle can be a great aid to mobility and independence. If you have one, do be aware
that vasculitis may affect your ability to drive
. Details of what needs to be done about retaking tests, altering your driving licence etc.
What does vasculitis pain feel like?
Nerves – inflammation of the nerves can cause tingling (pins and needles), pain and burning sensations or weakness in the arms and legs. Joints – vasculitis can cause
joint pain or swelling
. Muscles – inflammation here causes muscle aches, and eventually your muscles could become weak.
What does vasculitis do to the brain?
Vasculitis in the brain can lead to
stroke
:
Cerebral aneurysms (weak spots on a blood vessel in the brain that balloon out) can burst and spill blood into surrounding tissue (called hemorrhagic stroke) Blood in the inflamed blood vessel can clot (thrombosis), blocking blood flow and causing ischemic stroke.
