PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Langford, Carol
TI  - Clinical features and diagnosis of small-vessel vasculitis
AID  - 10.3949/ccjm.79.s3.01
DP  - 2012 Nov 01
TA  - Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
PG  - S3--S7
VI  - 79
IP  - 11 suppl 3
4099  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/79/11_suppl_3/S3.short
4100  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/79/11_suppl_3/S3.full
SO  - Cleve Clin J Med2012 Nov 01; 79
AB  - Vasculitis is inflammation of the blood vessel. Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyangiitis, and eosinophilic GPA are three small-vessel vasculitic diseases that share certain features, but also have important differences. Distinguishing these entities may influence the diagnostic approach, treatment decisions, and outcomes. Circulating antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) characterize all three diseases, although their immunofluorescence patterns and target antigen specificities differ. While the presence of ANCA can suggest these diagnoses, the diseases are best viewed as separate entities, each defined by specific clinical and histologic characteristics.