The Pathogenesis of Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody Renal Vasculitis

The vasculitides comprise a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by inflammation and destruction of blood vessels. Vessels of any size can be involved which explains the diverse spectrum of clinical diseases attributed to vasculitis. While the immunological basis of disease for vasculitis was recognized over thirty years ago,[1] a standardized classification system was only adopted nearly twenty years later. The initial classification system proposed by the American College of Rheumatology attempted to classify vasculitis according to standardized criteria.[2] The subsequent system described by the Chapel Hill Conference on the Nomen‐ clature of Systemic Vasculitis[3] introduced a system which coupled contemporary commonly used disease names and the size of vessel(s) involved.