Treatment of vasculitis
Authors:
Srđan Novak
Summary
Treatment of vasculitis depends on etiology and type of vasculitis. Gluccocorticoids are drug of choice in treatment of systemic vasculitis. While in vasculitis of large vessels treatment with gluccocorticoids is oft en sufficient, in ANCA associated vasculitis almost always intial combination of gluccocorticoids and immunosupresive drugs (cyclofosfamide in severe forms; azatioprin and metotrrexate in moderate disease) is needed. Maintance therapy of ANCA associated vasculitis is methotrexate or azatioprin. From biologic therapy, in gigantocellular vasculitis treatment with tocilizumb
has a great expectation, while in ANCA associated vasculitis recently rituximab was approved by regulatory agencies, and it is nontinferior to cyclofosfamide in induction of remission and prefarable in relapsing disease.