[New therapeutic concepts for vasculitis and collagenosis]

After improvement of the prognosis of the primary systemic vasculitides and systemic lupus erythematosus from a desperate diagnosis with hardly a one year survival after diagnosis to a 5-year-survival-rate of more than 90% actual therapeutic regimes aim at those patients refractory to standard therapeutic regimes, not achieving a remission by standard approaches or having organ damage or contraindications. Furthermore less toxic regimes are looked for with the aim to avoid secondary complications of the standard therapy. New drugs used successfully in rheumatology, transplantation medicine and haematology are used for these purposes in the last years. Recent experiences with Infliximab, Mycophenolate Mofetil, Rituximab und Deoxyspergualin for the treatment of the small vessel vasculitides and systemic lupus erythematosus are reviewed.