Vasculitis is a disease of blood vessels.
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The multi-organ vasculitis service provides high quality, rapid, individualised assessment and treatment for patients with vasculitis.
The service is based at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital but treats patients from around the North West. Vasculitis is inflammation of blood vessels. It is an auto-immune disease where the body’s immune system attacks blood vessels instead of fighting infection. It can affect any organ of the body causing a variety of symptoms and problems. There are different types of vasculitis and the kidneys, lungs, joints and skin are often involved in some of the more common types.
The multi-organ Vasculitis service is a dedicated and experienced team of consultants from a variety of specialities (services), specialist nurses and clerical staff. The collaboration of a joint multi-disciplinary assessment pathway ensures that patients are diagnosed promptly and treated effectively.
The multi-organ vasculitis service at the Royal Liverpool Hospital is one of the main UK vasculitis centres, offering multi-organ assessment, treatment and support for patients with vasculitis in the North West.
Referrals can be made to Dr Harper by any doctor involved in your care. This may be your GP or hospital consultant.
If you attend our outpatient clinic it is important to bring an up-to-date prescription / list of your tablets or all your current medication with you.
Making the right diagnosis will depend on the patient’s symptoms. Tests usually include the doctor examining the patient, a combination of blood tests, x-rays (or other scans such as CT and MRI) and often a biopsy (taking a small piece of tissue) from an affected area. There is no single test for vasculitis
Induction treatment gets the disease under control. this includes injections of steriod, followed by steroid tablets. The second drug used is usually cyclophosphamide. This is given as injections every two to three weeks over a six month period. The injections are given on our day ward and usually take 30 minutes.
Maintenance treatment involves taking tablets and is started once the disease is controlled or in remission .This includes steroids and another drug such as Azathioprine or Mycophenolate Mofetil. The drugs require close monitoring by blood tests and outpatient clinic visits.
Our team is lead by Dr Janice Harper who works in collaboration with many other specialists.
The service is supported by a vasculitis clinical nurse specialist, Sarah Hardy.
The doctors that will be involved in your treatment will depend on the type of vasculitis, the organs involved and the severity of the disease. You may be seen in a joint clinic where several members of the vasculitis team are present or in separate specialised clinics withinour hospitals.
The vasculitis team members are:
Clinic queries
Tel: 0151 706 3602
fax 0151 706 5439
Secretary
Tel: 0151 706 3602
Specialist nurse
Tel: 0151 706 3244
Visit the Vasculitis UK (previously known as Stuart Strange Vasculitis Trust website
Visit the Churg-Strauss Association website
Visit the International Information Vasculitis Foundation (USA) website
Visit the Behcet’s Syndrome Society website
Visit the Henoch-Schonlein Purpura Support Group website here