Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Systemic Vasculitis Referred To the Rheumatology Clinic of Imam Khomeini Hospital, Ardabil (2018-2023)

Background: Vasculitis is the inflammation of blood vessel walls, which may lead to vessel damage, narrowing, or occlusion.To better understand the impact of the environment and social factors on the development of vasculitis, more studies need to be conducted in different regions.Early diagnosis based on the prevalence of vasculitis helps in the management and treatment of these patients and prevents irreversible damage, which highlights the importance of diagnosing Vasculitis diseases.Methods: In this cross-sectional, descriptive study, we evaluated 152 patients who were referred to the Rheumatology Clinic of Imam Khomeini Hospital of Ardabil during the years 2018-2023.The required information was collected by reviewing the patients' medical records in the hospital archive.The relevant information was entered into SPSS software version 22 and evaluated based on the research objectives.Results: Data from 152 patients were analyzed.Behcet's disease (68.2%) and Wegener's granulomatosis (11.3%) were the most frequent diagnoses.Female patients comprised 53% of the group, with an average age of 36.8 years.Giant cell arteritis patients had the highest average age, while Behcet's patients had the lowest.Most patients resided in Ardabil city and were housekeepers or agricultural workers.Common symptoms included carotid disease and pulse reduction in Takayasu's arteritis, temporal tenderness in giant cell arteritis, weakness and myalgia in polyarteritis nodosa, shortness of breath in Churg-Strauss syndrome, hemoptysis in Wegener's, and mouth sores in Behcet's.ESR and CRP levels were highest in giant cell arteritis compared to other vasculitis types.Conclusion: Behcet's and Wegener's were the most common vasculitis types.Symptoms varied by disease but often included general signs like fever and myalgia.Elevated ESR and CRP were consistent across cases, with imaging and pathology being key diagnostic tools