Symptoms

Symptoms of Vasculitis

The symptoms of vasculitis vary depending on the organ affected. Some symptoms are experienced by people with all kinds of vasculitis. These include:

• Fever unrelated to another illness
• Feeling less hungry
• Losing weight with no explanation
• Tiredness
• General achiness

If vasculitis is focused in a particular part of your body, symptoms can include:

• Skin: Bumps, red spots, itchiness, hives, bruising
• Joints: Pain or arthritis in the joints
• Lungs: Shortness of breath and coughing blood
• Abdomen: Ulcers and stomach pain
• Ear, nose and throat: Chronic (long-term) ear infections, ulcers in the nose and hearing loss
• Eyes: Blurry vision or vision loss, redness, itchiness and burning
• Brain: Headaches, changes in your thinking abilities, muscle weakness
• Nerves: Numbness, tingling, weakness or loss of feeling in your extremities (such as arms or legs)

If you have symptoms, contact a rheumatologist at the Northwestern Medicine Vasculitis Center. They can assess your symptoms and help determine your treatment options.