The distribution and outcome of vasculitic syndromes among Egyptians: A multi-centre study including 630 patients

Studies describing the epidemiology of vasculitis in the Middle East and Africa are limited. The aim of this multi-centre study is to describe the distribution and outcome of vasculitic syndromes among Egyptian vasculitis patients seen by rheumatologists. The files of patients diagnosed with vasculitis between January 2002 and December 2016 were reviewed and were classified according to The Chapel Hill Consensus Conference on the Nomenclature of Systemic Vasculitis CHCC 2012 and disease- specific criteria. The vasculitis damage index (VDI) was calculated for all patients at the last visit. Six hundred and thirty patients with ages ranging from of 9 months-74 years, including 264 (41.9%) males and 366 (58.1%) females were studied. Vasculitis associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was detected in 151 (24%), Behçet’s disease in 148 (23.5%), Immunoglobulin A vasculitis in 101 (16%), vasculitis associated with systemic lupus erythematosus in 93 (14.8%), Takayasu’s arteritis in 33 (5.2%), Kawasaki’s disease in 22 (3.5%) patients, respectively. Other vasculitic syndromes were uncommon and each accounted for less than 2% of the studied cases. The VDI ranged from 0 to 13. Only 109/630 (17.3%) patients had no vasculitis-related damage (VDI = 0). Mortality was recorded in 36 (5.7%) patients; out of these, 27 deaths were vasculitis-related. HCV-associated vasculitis and Behçet’s disease were the most frequently diagnosed vasculitic syndromes.