Drugs such as many antibiotics, hydralazine, methyldopa, isoniazid, and penicillamine are common causes of vasculitis. PMR causes shoulder and neck stiffness and pain typically worse in the morning. GCA is characterised by unilateral headaches, scalp tenderness, jaw claudication, and the danger of permanent visual loss due to involvement of the retinal artery. C-reactive protein, abnormal liver biochemistry, and a mild normochromic normocytic anaemia. Diagnosis can be confirmed by temporal artery biopsy, which shows giant cells in the internal elastic lamina, but the biopsy may be normal.
Treatment is with high dose corticosteroids.
Behcet's disease is a systemic vasculitis of unknown cause with a typical geographical distribution in Turkey, Iran, and Japan. Oral and genital ulcers as well as uveitis and cutaneous lesions are characteristic. Other manifestations include a self limiting arthritis, gastrointestinal symptoms, pulmonary, and renal and cerebral lesions. Treatment is with immunosuppression. There is correlation between ANCA titres and disease activity.