polyarteritis

Last reviewed 01/2018

The term polyarteritis describes an inflammation of the full thickness of the arterial wall, ie adventitia, media and intima. The term polyarteritis is used because it is usually the arterioles and arteries that are affected.

This section of the system contains information about conditions where polyarteritis (or vasculitis) is the primary condition. However, it is recognised that vasculitis may occur as a secondary phenomenon in disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and angio-immunoblastic lymphadenopathy.

There are many different subgroups of polyarteritis.

Ref: OTM section 16