Although vasculitis is frequently classified by the size of the vessels involved, the symptoms from either large-, medium-, or small-vessel vasculitis can overlap. As such, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and/or gross or occult blood in the stool is common.

Can vasculitis affect the digestive system?

Vasculitis can cause local or diffuse pathologic changes in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The variety of GI lesions includes ulcer, submucosal edema, hemorrhage, paralytic ileus, mesenteric ischemia, bowel obstruction, and life-threatening perforation.

How is intestinal vasculitis diagnosed?

Localized vasculitis of the gastrointestinal tract usually gets diagnosed after abdominal imaging or histopathology examination of organs from surgery reveals evidence suggestive of vasculitis. [21] This condition can occur in the esophagus, stomach, intestines, appendix, or gallbladder.