The effect of pregnancy on the vasculitides.

Vasculitis is a clinicopathologic process characterized by inflammation and necrosis of blood vessels. Classification schemes for systemic vasculitis depend on the size of the involved blood vessels, the anatomic site, and the clinical manifestations. The most common primary types of vasculitis are Wegeners granulomatosus, polyarteritis nodosa, and Churg-Strauss vasculitis. There is limited information on pregnancy outcome and medication use in these patients because most of the primary vasculidities occur in older individuals and they are more common in men.