Early symptoms of arteritis

Arteritis is a chronic, progressive, nonspecific inflammatory disease of some of the large arteries in the human body. Those large arteries that are prone to lesions are very important blood vessels in the human body. Once lesions occur, the damage to the human body is very serious. The earlier arteritis is discovered and treated, the greater the chance of cure, and the less damage to the human body will be caused during the treatment. Below, the editor will introduce some early symptoms of arteritis. If similar situations occur, it is recommended that you go to the hospital for examination.

Overview of Arteritis

Arteritis refers to a chronic, progressive, nonspecific inflammation of the aorta, its main branches, and pulmonary arteries, which mainly causes stenosis or occlusion in different parts of the body. In a small number of patients, inflammation destroys the middle layer of the arterial wall, leading to arterial dilatation or aneurysm. The clinical manifestations vary depending on the location of the lesion.

Causes

The cause of the disease is still unclear. It has been associated with syphilis, arteriosclerosis, tuberculosis, thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerge's disease), congenital anomalies, giant cell arteritis, connective tissue disease, rheumatism, rheumatoid disease, endocrine abnormalities, metabolic abnormalities and autoimmune factors.

Early symptoms

Nonspecific systemic symptoms

A few weeks before the onset of local symptoms or signs, a small number of patients may experience general discomfort, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, sweating, weight loss, myalgia, arthritis, and erythema nodosum. The onset may be acute or insidious. After local symptoms or signs appear, systemic symptoms may gradually ease or disappear, and some patients do not have the above symptoms.

Local symptoms and signs

Symptoms of vascular involvement are often not obvious when the patient first visits the doctor; however, they gradually become apparent as the disease progresses. The pathological basis of the symptoms is dilatation, stenosis or occlusion of the proximal or distal end of the aorta and its primary branches. The skin temperature of the limbs supplied by the affected blood vessels decreases, and ischemic pain occurs after activity (called intermittent dyskinesia). When vascular stenosis or occlusive lesions are severe, ischemic ulcers or gangrene may occur in the affected limbs. Because inflammatory lesions usually progress slowly, compensatory collateral circulation often appears in the ischemic area.