Abstract
Vasculitides are a heterogeneous group of diseases of various etiologies. The inflammatory process primarily affects the vessel wall, which leads to the occlusion of vascular lumen.
As a result of ischemia of the tissue supplied by the affected vessel, clinical conditions with frequent skin lesions arise. Vasculitis may be systemic or affect only one organ.
It may be primarily cutaneous, or the skin condition develops secondarily, e.g. due to vasculitis associated with systemic connective tissue disease. The basic classification represents the anatomical pathological differentiaton according to the size of the affected vessel, including arteries, veins, capillaries or postcapillary venules.
We distinguish vasculitides of large vessels, representing the aorta and its stem branches, vasculitides of middle vessels represented by vessels in muscles, subcutaneous tissue and deeper dermis. Small vessels vasculitis affecting the skin is generally referred to as leukocytoclastic vasculitis and affects the vessels of the middle and papillary parts of the dermis.
One of the most common cutaneous manifestations of vasculitis is palpable purpura, which may be manifestation of small and medium vessel vasculitis. Due to the diverse clinical picture interdisciplinary approach is necessary.
The author presents the current state of classification of vasculitides and a brief description of individual vasculitic diseases.