Inflammation of the walls of an artery or arteries, occurring alone or accompanying another disorder
The inflammation can block the artery, reducing blood flow to the affected area and possibly weakening the artery wall, which in turn leads to swelling of the artery into a balloon like form called an aneurysm. Arteritis is usually treated with anti-inflammatory medications, such as corticosteroids. In some cases, surgery is needed to remove the block-* age and restore normal blood flow.
An inflammatory disease affecting the muscular walls of the arteries. It may be part of a collagen disease or it may be due to an infection, such as syphilis. The affected vessels are swollen and tender and may become blocked. Temporal or giant-cell arteritis occurs in the elderly and most commonly affects the arteries of the scalp. The patient complains of severe headache, and blindness may result from thrombosis of the arteries to the eyes. Treatment with cortisone derivatives is rapidly effective.
The inflammation occurring within the wall of an artery results in the constriction or total occlusion of the affected artery, leading to diminished blood circulation and, in certain instances, the formation of blood clots and injury to the surrounding tissues.
There exist various forms of arteritis. Buerger’s disease is a type of arteritis that primarily impacts the limbs, resulting in sensations of pain, numbness, and, in severe instances, gangrene. Polyarteritis nodosa, which is a grave autoimmune condition characterized by the immune system attacking the body’s own tissues, can affect arteries located in any region of the body, particularly the heart and kidneys. Temporal arteritis affects the arteries positioned in the scalp around the temples and may also extend to involve the retinal artery in the eye. Takayasu’s arteritis, believed to be an autoimmune disorder, is a rare form of arteritis that typically affects young women and involves the arteries branching from the aorta into the neck and arms.