Recommendations For the Management of Vasculitis
Purpose of review To discuss the European League Against Rheumatism recommendations in the management of primary systemic vasculitis.
Recent findings Important developments in the classification and treatment of systemic vasculitis have led the European League Against Rheumatism to publish recommendations in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of the small, medium and large-vessel vasculitides. These recommendations resulted from a combination of evidence from systematic analysis of selected studies and the experience of experts in vasculitis when data were not available.
Summary The purpose of formulating clinical recommendations is to improve quality of care and guide the clinician inexperienced with vasculitis. Nevertheless, patients with vasculitis should be managed by a vasculitis expert whenever possible. As our understanding of this rare and complex group of diseases advances, novel therapeutic options are being developed.
Important advances in the classification and treatment of systemic vasculitis have led the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) to formulate recommendations in the management of this complex group of diseases. Vasculitis experts from eight European Countries and the USA identified topics of relevance and combined evidence from systematic analysis of selected studies and their experience to generate recommendations in diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of vasculitis. The recommendations were published in two papers; one addressing small and medium-vessel vasculitides and the other discusses Giant-cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu arteritis (TA). Refer to the articles for detailed description of methods.
The aim of this review is to discuss some of these recommendations in light of the available data from controlled trials.
Abstract and Introduction
Abstract
Purpose of review To discuss the European League Against Rheumatism recommendations in the management of primary systemic vasculitis.
Recent findings Important developments in the classification and treatment of systemic vasculitis have led the European League Against Rheumatism to publish recommendations in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of the small, medium and large-vessel vasculitides. These recommendations resulted from a combination of evidence from systematic analysis of selected studies and the experience of experts in vasculitis when data were not available.
Summary The purpose of formulating clinical recommendations is to improve quality of care and guide the clinician inexperienced with vasculitis. Nevertheless, patients with vasculitis should be managed by a vasculitis expert whenever possible. As our understanding of this rare and complex group of diseases advances, novel therapeutic options are being developed.
Introduction
Important advances in the classification and treatment of systemic vasculitis have led the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) to formulate recommendations in the management of this complex group of diseases. Vasculitis experts from eight European Countries and the USA identified topics of relevance and combined evidence from systematic analysis of selected studies and their experience to generate recommendations in diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of vasculitis. The recommendations were published in two papers; one addressing small and medium-vessel vasculitides and the other discusses Giant-cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu arteritis (TA). Refer to the articles for detailed description of methods.
The aim of this review is to discuss some of these recommendations in light of the available data from controlled trials.