Damage assessment in systemic vasculitis.

Systemic vasculitides were initially reported as acute, progressive, severe, and life-threatening diseases. The introduction of glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide for the treatment of vasculitis improved survival dramatically, but morbidity has remained high. Damage develops as a consequence of recurrent or persistent active vasculitis or its treatment. It is defined as the accumulation of nonhealing scars that are unlikely to respond to immunosuppressive therapy. Damage assessment is essential in systemic vasculitis because it may facilitate patient stratification in clinical trials and possibly in clinical practice. Moreover, it may avoid unnecessary use of immunosuppressive therapy. The Vasculitis Damage Index, developed and validated in 1997, has been very useful in solving many matters in systemic vasculitis and is currently the only validated damage-assessment tool available. However, the vasculitis community has recognized that there is a growing need to improve the evaluation of damage in vasculitis. The development of a Combined Damage Assessment index, which would permit a more appropriate and standardized approach to disease assessment applicable to systemic vasculitis, has been proposed.