Word parts
vascul blood vessel-itis inflammation
What it means
A group of conditions in which the immune system attacks blood vessel walls. The walls can thicken, weaken or narrow, cutting down blood flow to the organs they feed. It can affect small or large vessels and one organ or many. Examples include giant cell arteritis and Kawasaki disease in children.
At a glance
| Spanish | vasculitis |
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Related terms
-itis
A word ending that means inflammation.
inflammation
The body's protective response to injury or infection, with redness, heat, swelling, pain and sometimes loss of function.
lupus
Systemic lupus erythematosus: a long-term autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues.