Vasculitic Neuropathies

To describe the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment options of vasculitic neuropathies. Overall, vasculitic neuropathies can be divided into systemic and nonsystemic. Systemic vasculitic neuropathies form part of rheumatological diseases, where in some cases, the vasculitic is the predominant feature, and these are called primary vasculitis, while in others, the vasculitis is secondary to a connective tissue disease. Nonsystemic vasculitic neuropathies involve only the peripheral nervous system, and thus, diagnosis is more challenging as it requires a high degree of suspicion and confirmation with nerve biopsy results.

Over the past few years, rituximab has been increasingly used for induction and maintenance treatment of vasculitis due to a more favorable side effect profile and similar efficacy when compared to cyclophosphamide.

Herein, we describe the different types of vasculitic neuropathies. Regarding their treatment, have focused on the indications, dosing, and side effects for the most common options for primary systemic vasculitic neuropathies, as these tend to be similar for the classical nonsystemic vasculitic neuropathy phenotype.