arteritis

Inflammation of the arteries. It occurs in diseases including syphilis, tuberculosis, and lupus erythematosus. Varieties not closely associated with systemic disease or disease of an organ outside the cardiovascular system have been described as temporal arteritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, and polyarteritis nodosa.

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Types

• Temporal arteritis, also called giant cell arteritis, is specifically arteritis of the vessels supplying the head, eyes and optic nerves, particularly the temporal artery.
• Takayasu's arteritis affects the aorta and its branches.
• Polyarteritis nodosa affects the medium-sized arteries, especially those of renal, coronary, hepatic and skeletal muscle systems.

Arteritis may be partially caused by the fungal pathogen Candida albicans.

References