[Classification of systemic vasculitides]

Systemic vasculitides are characterized by different histological aspects: fibrinoid necrosis of the arterial wall, giant cell arteritis, non-necrotizing arteritides without granuloma or giant cell infiltration. Each histological form is associated with a spectrum of diseases with variable clinical expression: giant cell angeitides, such as Takayasu's arteritis and giant cell arteritis, necrotizing angeitides, such as polyarteritis nodosa, Kawasaki disease, Wegener's granulomatosis, Henoch-Schönlein purpura or Churg-Strauss syndrome. The detection of anti-neutrophilic cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) also makes it possible to classify necrotizing vasculitides by isolating a group of diseases different from necrotizing vasculitidies without ANCA (Wegener's granulomatosis, microscopic polyangitis, allergic granulomatous angiitis).