What is Polyarteritis nodosa?

what is polyarteritis nodosa? Polyarteritis nodosa is an inflammation of blood vessels (vasculitis) rare but potentially fatal disease that damages the walls of the arteries of small and medium-sized body. This damage reduces blood supply and nutrients to the arteries, which causes the injury or destruction of surrounding tissue in many parts of the body. The disease most commonly affects the kidneys, the nerves of the arms and legs and abdominal organs, but can also affect the skin, joints, brain, heart, eyes and genitals.

In individual organs, polyarteritis nodosa can have the following effects:

- Kidneys: renal failure and high blood pressure associated with kidney failure
- Nervous system: nerve damage in the arms and legs, loss of sensation and movement caused by a specific lesion of a nerve. In the brain, the injury can trigger strokes, seizures or sudden disturbances in nerve function.
- Abdominal organs: intestinal pain, liver or pancreas, especially after eating, or even death of a portion of an organ caused by interruption of blood supply. May break suddenly artery aneurysms, which are inflammation (swelling) like a balloon that formed along an artery in the areas where the vasculitis has weakened the arterial wall. This can lead to hemorrhage (bleeding) death in the abdomen, accompanied by severe abdominal pain. Read the rest of this entry »