Small Vessel Vasculitis with Testicular Involvement

Small vessels (intraparenchymal arteries, arterioles, capillaries, and venules) are targets for a wide variety of processes that can produce vasculitis. In some cases, vasculitis may also affect medium-sized vessels. Two main groups are distinguished depending on the number of immunoglobulins observed in the vessel wall: ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and immune complex small vessel vasculitis (immune complex SVV). In AAV, immunoglobulin deposits are very scarce or absent, while in immune complex SVV, the deposits of immunoglobulins and/or complement are abundant. Among the AAVs in which testicular involvement has been demonstrated are the following entities: microscopic polyangiitis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener’s disease), and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss). And, immunoglobulin A (IgA) vasculitis (Henoch-Schönlein purpura) is among the immune complex SVV with testicular involvement.