Vasculitis in children.

Vasculitis in children is uncommon and hardly any information is available from India. We, at PGIMER, Chandigarh, have diagnosed and followed many children with vasculitis of different types though not all, which occur in children. In this article, we have given an overview of the vasculitides that we have encountered along-with a review of relevant literature. We have described 8 children with classical PAN and have highlighted a higher frequency of CNS involvement in our patients. Amongst the 10 BCPAN children, as many as 8 had peripheral gangrene which resulted in auto-amputation in 7. Gangrene of such severity has not been previously reported in this condition. We have also included 30 children with HSP. Gastrointestinal involvement was noted in 86.7% of children and in one of these, it was severe enough to result in hypovolemic shock. Such severe bleeding is very rare. Two of our patients with HSP came late to us after having been operated for an 'acute abdomen' elsewhere. Although renal involvement was seen less frequently than reported in the literature, the severity of involvement was greater (nephrotic range proteinuria in 62% and azotemia in 50%). We have only limited experience of Kawasaki Disease but it appears that children with this disorder are probably not being diagnosed in the acute stage in our country.