Infectious Vasculitides of the Central Nervous System

Purpose of review To provide an approach to the evaluation and management of infectious vasculitides affecting the central nervous system (CNS). Recent findings A growing number of infectious pathogens are associated with the development of cerebral vasculitis, though the pathophysiology is not well...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current treatment options in cardiovascular medicine 2020-08, Vol.22 (8), p.14, Article 14
Main Authors: Cervantes-Arslanian, Anna M., Anand, Pria
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aneurysms
Bacterial infections
Cardiology
Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke (S Silverman
Chicken pox
Glucose
Herpes viruses
Medical imaging
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Meningitis
Mortality
Pathogens
Proteins
Section Editor
Steroids
Streptococcus infections
Stroke
Topical Collection on Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke
Tuberculosis
Veins & arteries
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Summary:Purpose of review To provide an approach to the evaluation and management of infectious vasculitides affecting the central nervous system (CNS). Recent findings A growing number of infectious pathogens are associated with the development of cerebral vasculitis, though the pathophysiology is not well understood. Immunomodulatory drugs are being used as adjunctive therapies in specific conditions. Summary A number of infectious diseases can affect CNS vasculature either as part of intracranial or systemic infection or due to involvement of the cerebrovasculature alone. Imaging is crucial to diagnosis. Serologic and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) testing are often helpful, but the sensitivities of many tests are poor. Current treatment of infectious vasculitis typically requires targeted antimicrobial therapy, though often with adjunctive use of steroids. Very limited evidence suggests a role for antiplatelets. Here, we characterize the broad spectrum of infectious etiologies of CNS vasculitis and treatment modalities.
ISSN:1092-8464
1534-3189
DOI:10.1007/s11936-020-00815-z