His respiratory signs are due to consolidation secondary to right lower lobe pneumonia. He is in atrial fibrillation, which commonly occurs secondary to pneumonia in this age group. Hypoxia and renal impairment are poor prognostic features of pneumonia. He will also require a chest x ray examination, a full blood count, and sputum culture. Discussion Vasculitis is defined as inflammation of the vessel wall, which is usually immunologically mediated.
Several classifications exist, some based on the size of the affected vessels.
We have divided causes into infective and non-infective . Infective causes Subacute bacterial endocarditis is well known to cause vasculitis. Small petechial haemorrhages appear at the mucosa of the pharynx and conjunctiva. The rash shown can also be a manifestation of subacute bacterial endocarditis. Non-infective causes Rheumatoid arthritis is a common cause of systemic vasculitis.