With more than 100 different conditions under the arthritis umbrella, it’s understandable that some might not be as widely recognised as others.
Each year, as part of World Rare Disease Day, the team at The Hospital Research Foundation Group – Arthritis shines a spotlight on lesser-known conditions that may be associated with arthritis.
World Rare Disease Day is on 28 February this year, and to mark the occasion, we are raising awareness for vasculitis.
Vasculitis is a complex group of conditions that causes inflammation in the blood vessel walls.
We have blood vessels all over our body, which means vasculitis can affect people in many different ways.
Some common symptoms include fatigue and weakness, pain, swelling of joints, headaches and rashes. Symptoms can impact many parts of daily life and it’s not uncommon for a person living with vasculitis to also experience challenges with their mental and social health.
While there are about 20 different types, vasculitis is a rare group of conditions affecting about one in 50,000 people in Australia and about 40 people per million worldwide. The most common is giant cell arteritis.
Because vasculitis is rare and symptoms can be similar to other conditions, it can take time to diagnose.
People may have primary vasculitis meaning this is a person’s main diagnosis, or secondary vasculitis where it occurs alongside other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or polymyalgia rheumatica.
As part of World Rare Disease Day, we have created a video raising awareness about vasculitis. We encourage you to share it to help spread the message!
Make sure you follow our social media channels to see more about vasculitis. On Facebook, we can be found at www.facebook.com/HospitalResearchArthritis
If you’d like to learn more about any of these conditions, call our information line on 1800 011 041 or email [email protected]
