These conditions are sometimes considered together with the small vessel vasculitides.

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN). Systemic necrotizing vasculitis and aneurysm formation affecting both medium and small arteries. If only small vessels are affected, it is called microscopic polyangiitis, although it is more associated with granulomatosis with polyangiitis than to classic PAN. At least 3 out of 10 criteria yields sensitivity and specificity of 82 and 87%:

- unexplained weight loss > 4 kg

- livedo reticularis

- testicular pain

- myalgias, weakness

- Abdominal pain, diarrhea, and GI bleeding

- mononeuropathy or polyneuropathy

- new onset diastolic blood pressure > 90 mmHg

- elevated serum BUN (> 40 mg/dL) or serum creatinine (> 1.5 mg/dL)

- hepatitis B infection

- arteriographic abnormalities

- arterial biopsy showing polymorphonuclear cells

Kawasaki disease. Usually in children(age<4), it affects large, medium, and small vessels, prominently the coronary arteries. Associated with a mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome. Diagnosis requires fever lasting five days or more with at least 4 out of 5 criteria:

- bilateral conjunctival injection

- injected or fissured lips, injected pharynx, or strawberry tongue

- erythema of palms/soles, edema of hands/feet, periungual desquamation

- polymorphous rash

- cervical lymphadenopathy (at least one node > 1.5 cm)

Isolated cerebral vasculitis. Affects medium and small arteries over a diffuse CNS area, without symptomatic extracranial vessel involvement. Patients have CNS symptoms as well as cerebral vasculitis by angiography and leptomeningeal biopsy.

Giant-cell arteritis and Takayasu's arteritis have much in common, but usually affect patients of different ages, with Takayasu's arteritis affecting younger people, and giant-cell arteritis having a later age of onset.

Aortitis can also be considered a large-vessel disease.

Takayasu arteritis. Primarily affects the aorta and its main branches. At least 3 out of 6 criteria yields sensitivity and specificity of 90.5 and 97.8%:

- onset < 40 years affects young and middle -aged women (ages 15–45)

- claudication of extremities

- decreased pulsation of one or both brachial arteries

- at least 10 mmHg systolic difference in both arms

- bruit over one or both carotid arteries or abdominal aorta

- arteriographic narrowing of aorta, its primary branches, or large arteries in upper or lower extremities

- Ocular manifestation

- visual loss or field defects

- Retinal hemorrhages

- Neurological abnormalitis

- Treatment: steroids

Giant cell (temporal) arteritis. Chronic vasculitis of both large and medium vessels, primarily affecting cranial branches of the arteries arising from the aortic arch. At least 3 out of 5 criteria yields sensitivity and specificity of 95 and 91%:

- Age at onset ≥ 50 years

- New onset headache with localized tenderness

- Temporal artery tenderness or decreased pulsation

- Elevated ESR ≥ 50 mm/hour Westergren

- Temporal artery biopsy showing vasculitis with mononuclear cell infiltrate or granulomatous inflammation, usually with multinucleated giant cells

The morphologic features of mild and moderate HDV include:

- Perivascular inflammatory cells,

- +/-Vascular thrombosis,

- Smooth muscle hypertrophy, and

- Endothelial hyperplasia.

Severe HDV is characterized by:

- Atherosis - foamy macrophages within vascular wall, and

- Fibrinoid necrosis of vessel wall (amorphous eosinophilic vessel wall).

In pathology, hypertrophic decidual vasculopathy, abbreviated HDV, is the histomorphologic correlate of gestational hypertension, as may be seen in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and HELLP syndrome.

The name of the condition describes its appearance under the microscope; the smooth muscle of the decidual (or maternal) blood vessels is hypertrophic, i.e. the muscle part of the blood vessels feeding the placenta is larger due to cellular enlargement.

Pain may be the first noticed symptom. People with lipodermatosclerosis have tapering of their legs above the ankles, forming a constricting band resembling an inverted champagne bottle. In addition, there may be brownish-red pigmentation and induration.

Affected individuals typically present with sudden painful proptosis, redness, and edema. Proptosis will vary according to the degree of inflammation, fibrosis, and mass effect. Occasionally, ptosis, chemosis, motility dysfunction (ophthalmoplegia), and optic neuropathy are seen. In the setting of extensive sclerosis there may be restriction, compression, and destruction of orbital tissue. Symptoms usually develop acutely (hours to days), but have also been seen to develop over several weeks or even months.Malaise, headaches, and nausea may accompany these symptoms. Other unusual presentations described include cystoid macular edema, temporal arteritis, and cluster headaches.

Pediatric IOI accounts for about 17% of cases idiopathic orbital inflammation. The most common sign is proptosis, but redness and pain are also experienced. Presentation varies slightly compared to adults with bilateral involvement, uveitis, disc edema and tissue eosinophilia being more common in this population. The presence of uveitis generally implies a poor outcome for pediatric IOI. Bilateral presentation may have a higher incidence of systemic disease.

Involutional lipoatrophy is a cutaneous condition, and is an idiopathic lipoatrophy characterized clinically by non-inflammatory focal loss of fat.

Idiopathic localized involutional lipoatrophy (ILIL) is a rare and nosologically imprecise condition characterized by a focal loss of subcutaneous tissue on one or several sites, occurring without any significant triggering factor or auto-immune background, and regressing spontaneously within a few months.

Idiopathic orbital inflammatory (IOI) disease, or orbital pseudotumor, refers to a marginated mass-like enhancing soft tissue involving any area of the orbit. It is the most common painful orbital mass in the adult population, and is associated with proptosis, cranial nerve (Tolosa–Hunt syndrome), uveitis, and retinal detachment. Idiopathic orbital inflammatory syndrome, also known as orbital pseudotumor, was first described by Gleason in 1903 and by Busse and Hochhmein. It was then characterized as a distinct entity in 1905 by Birch-Hirschfeld. It is a benign, nongranulomatous orbital inflammatory process characterized by extraocular orbital and adnexal inflammation with no known local or systemic cause. Its diagnosis is of exclusion once neoplasm, primary infection and systemic disorders have been ruled-out. Once diagnosed, it is characterized by its chronicity, anatomic location or histologic subtype.

Idiopathic orbital inflammation has a varied clinical presentation depending on the involved tissue. It can range from a diffuse inflammatory process to a more localized inflammation of muscle, lacrimal gland or orbital fat. Its former name, orbital pseudotumor, is derived due to resemblance to a neoplasm. However, histologically it is characterized by inflammation. Although a benign condition, it may present with an aggressive clinical course with severe vision loss and oculomotor dysfunction.

Patients are often asymptomatic in the initial stages of retinal perivasculitis. Some patients may develop symptoms such as floaters, blurring vision, or even gross diminution of vision due to massive vitreous hemorrhage. Vision in these patients can be normal to hand movements or light perception only. Bilaterality is quite common (50–90%) patients.

Glomerulonephrosis is a non-inflammatory disease of the kidney (nephrosis) presenting primarily in the glomerulus (a glomerulopathy).

It can be contrasted to glomerulonephritis, which implies inflammation.

It can be caused by diethylnitrosamine.

Patients typically present with low frequency hearing loss detectable via an audiogram. Headaches are frequently present in addition to roaring tinnitus and often some degree of paranoia. Partial vision loss is often present and caused by branch retinal artery occlusions. The presence of refractile or non-refractile yellow Gass plaques in the retinal arterioles is near pathognomonic for the disease. Fluorescein angiography may demonstrate leakage in areas remote from the retinal infarctions.

Lipodermatosclerosis (also known as "chronic panniculitis with lipomembranous changes", "hypodermitis sclerodermiformis", "sclerosing panniculitis", and "stasis panniculitis") is a skin and connective tissue disease. It is a form of lower extremity panniculitis, an inflammation of the layer of fat under the epidermis.

There are several constitutional symptoms of temporal arteritis that may aid in diagnosis of AAION such as jaw claudication (spasms of the jaw muscle), scalp tenderness, unintentional weight loss, fatigue, myalgias and loss of appetite. However, many cases are asymptomatic. There are also elevations in three blood tests that help identify AAION: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP) and platelet count (thrombocytosis). A related rheumatic disease called polymyalgia rheumatica has a 15 percent incidence of giant cell arteritis.

Autosomal Dominant Retinal Vasculopathy with Cerebral Leukodystrophy (AD-RVCL) (previously known also as Cerebroretinal Vasculopathy, CRV, or Hereditary Vascular Retinopathy, HVR or Hereditary Endotheliopathy, Retinopathy, Nephropathy, and Stroke, HERNS) is an inherited condition resulting from a frameshift mutation to the TREX1 gene. This genetically inherited condition affects the retina and the white matter of the central nervous system, resulting in vision loss, lacunar strokes and ultimately dementia. Symptoms commonly begin in the early to mid-forties, and treatments currently aim to manage or alleviate the symptoms rather than treating the underlying cause. The overall prognosis is poor, and death can sometimes occur within 10 years of the first symptoms appearing.

AD-RVCL (CRV) Acronym

Autosomal Dominance (genetics) means only one copy of the gene is necessary for the symptoms to manifest themselves.

Retinal Vasculopathy means a disorder that is associated with a disease of the blood vessels in the retina.

Cerebral means having to do with the brain.

Leukodystrophy means a degeneration of the white matter of the brain.

Pathogenesis

The main pathologic process centers on small blood vessels that prematurely “drop out” and disappear. The retina of the eye and white matter of the brain are the most sensitive to this pathologic process. Over a five to ten-year period, this vasculopathy (blood vessel pathology) results in vision loss and destructive brain lesions with neurologic deficits and death.

Most recently, AD-RVCL (CRV) has been renamed. The new name is CHARIOT which stands for Cerebral Hereditary Angiopathy with vascular Retinopathy and Impaired Organ function caused by TREX1 mutations.

Treatment

Currently, there is no therapy to prevent the blood vessel deterioration.

About TREX1

The official name of the TREX1 gene is “three prime repair exonuclease 1.” The normal function of the TREX1 gene is to provide instructions for making the 3-prime repair exonuclease 1 enzyme. This enzyme is a DNA exonuclease, which means it trims molecules of DNA by removing DNA building blocks (nucleotides) from the ends of the molecules. In this way, it breaks down unneeded DNA molecules or fragments that may be generated during genetic material in preparation for cell division, DNA repair, cell death, and other processes.

Changes (mutations) to the TREX1 gene can result in a range of conditions one of which is AD-RVCL. The mutations to the TREX1 gene are believed to prevent the production of the 3-prime repair exonuclease 1 enzyme. Researchers suggest that the absence of this enzyme may result in an accumulation of unneeded DNA and RNA in cells. These DNA and RNA molecules may be mistaken by cells for those of viral invaders, triggering immune system reactions that result in the symptoms of AD-RVCL.

Mutations in the TREX1 gene have also been identified in people with other disorders involving the immune system. These disorders include a chronic inflammatory disease called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including a rare form of SLE called chilblain lupus that mainly affects the skin.

The TREX1 gene is located on chromosome 3: base pairs 48,465,519 to 48,467,644

The immune system.

- The immune system is composed of white blood cells or leukocytes.

- There are 5 different types of leukocytes.

- Combined, the 5 different leukocytes represent the 2 types of immune systems (The general or innate immune system and the adaptive or acquired immune system).

- The adaptive immune system is composed of two types of cells (B-cells which release antibodies and T-cells which destroy abnormal and cancerous cells).

How the immune system becomes part of the condition.

During mitosis, tiny fragments of “scrap” single strand DNA naturally occur inside the cell. Enzymes find and destroy the “scrap” DNA. The TREX1 gene provides the information necessary to create the enzyme that destroys this single strand “scrap” DNA. A mutation in the TREX1 gene causes the enzyme that would destroy the single strand DNA to be less than completely effective. The less than completely effective nature of the enzyme allows “scrap” single strand DNA to build up in the cell. The buildup of “scrap” single strand DNA alerts the immune system that the cell is abnormal.

The abnormality of the cells with the high concentration of “scrap” DNA triggers a T-cell response and the abnormal cells are destroyed. Because the TREX1 gene is identical in all of the cells in the body the ineffective enzyme allows the accumulation of “scrap” single strand DNA in all of the cells in the body. Eventually, the immune system has destroyed enough of the cells in the walls of the blood vessels that the capillaries burst open. The capillary bursting happens throughout the body but is most recognizable when it happens in the eyes and brain because these are the two places where capillary bursting has the most pronounced effect.

Characteristics of AD-RVCL

- No recognizable symptoms until after age 40.

- No environmental toxins have been found to be attributable to the condition.

- The condition is primarily localized to the brain and eyes.

- Optically correctable, but continuous, deterioration of visual acuity due to extensive multifocal microvascular abnormalities and retinal neovascularization leading, ultimately, to a loss of vision.

- Elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase.

- Subtle vascular changes in the retina resembling telangiectasia (spider veins) in the parafovea circulation.

- Bilateral capillary occlusions involving the perifovea vessels as well as other isolated foci of occlusion in the posterior pole of the retina.

- Headaches due to papilledema.

- Mental confusion, loss of cognitive function, loss of memory, slowing of speech and hemiparesis due to “firm masses” and white, granular, firm lesions in the brain.

- Jacksonian seizures and grand mal seizure disorder.

- Progressive neurologic deterioration unresponsive to systemic corticosteroid therapy.

- Discrete, often confluent, foci of coagulation necrosis in the cerebral white matter with intermittent findings of fine calcium deposition within the necrotic foci.

- Vasculopathic changes involving both arteries and veins of medium and small caliber present in the cerebral white matter.

- Fibroid necrosis of vessel walls with extravasation of fibrinoid material into adjacent parenchyma present in both necrotic and non-necrotic tissue.

- Obliterative fibrosis in all the layers of many vessel walls.

- Parivascular, adventitial fibrosis with limited intimal thickening.

Conditions with similar symptoms that AD-RVCL can be misdiagnosed as:

- Brain tumors

- Diabetes

- Macular degeneration

- Telangiectasia (Spider veins)

- Hemiparesis (Stroke)

- Glaucoma

- Hypertension (high blood pressure)

- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE (same original pathogenic gene, but definitely a different disease because of a different mutation in TREX1))

- Polyarteritis nodosa

- Granulomatosis with polyangiitis

- Behçet's disease

- Lymphomatoid granulomatosis

- Vasculitis

Clinical Associations

- Raynaud's phenomenon

- Anemia

- Hypertension

- Normocytic anemia

- Normochromic anemia

- Gastrointestinal bleeding or telangiectasias

- Elevated alkaline phosphatase

Definitions

- Coagulation necrosis

- Endothelium

- Fibrinoid

- Fibrinoid necrosis

- Frameshift mutation

- Hemiparesis

- Jacksonian seizure

- Necrotic

- Necrosis

- Papilledema

- Perivascular

- Retinopathy

- Telangiectasia

- Vasculopathy

- Vascular

What AD-RVCL is not:

- Infection

- Cancer

- Diabetes

- Glaucoma

- Hypertension

- A neurological disorder

- Muscular dystrophy

- Systemic Lupus Erythematosis (SLE)

- Vasculitis

Things that have been tried but turned out to be ineffective or even make things worse:

- Antibiotics

- Steroids

- X-Ray therapy

- Immunosuppression

History of AD-RVCL (CRV)

- 1985 – 1988: CRV (Cerebral Retinal Vasculopathy) was discovered by John P. Atkinson, MD at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO

- 1988: 10 families worldwide were identified as having CRV

- 1991: Related disease reported, HERNS (Hereditary Endiotheliopathy with Retinopathy, Nephropathy and Stroke – UCLA

- 1998: Related disease reported, HRV (Hereditary Retinal Vasculopathy) – Leiden University, Netherlands

- 2001: Localized to Chromosome 3.

- 2007: The specific genetic defect in all of these families was discovered in a single gene called TREX1

- 2008: Name changed to AD-RVCL Autosomal Dominant-Retinal Vasculopathy with Cerebral Leukodystrophy

- 2009: Testing for the disease available to persons 21 and older

- 2011: 20 families worldwide were identified as having CRV

- 2012: Obtained mouse models for further research and to test therapeutic agents

Livedo reticularis is a common skin finding consisting of a mottled reticulated vascular pattern that appears as a lace-like purplish discoloration of the skin. The discoloration is caused by swelling of the venules owing to obstruction of capillaries by small blood clots. The blood clots in the small blood vessels can be a secondary effect of a condition that increases a person's risk of forming blood clots, including a wide array of pathological and nonpathological conditions . Examples include hyperlipidemia, microvascular hematological or anemia states, nutritional deficiencies, hyper- and autoimmune diseases, and drugs/toxins.

The condition may be normal or related to more severe underlying pathology. Its differential diagnosis is broadly divided into possible blood diseases, autoimmune (rheumatologic) diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and endocrine disorders. It can usually (in 80% of cases) be diagnosed by biopsy.

It may be aggravated by exposure to cold, and occurs most often in the lower extremities.

The condition's name derives from the Latin "livere" meaning bluish and "reticular" which refers to the net-like appearance.

Eales disease is a type of obliterative vasculopathy, also known as angiopathia retinae juvenilis, periphlebitis retinae, primary perivasculitis of the retina, is an ocular disease characterized by inflammation and possible blockage of retinal blood vessels, abnormal growth of new blood vessels (neovascularization), and recurrent retinal and vitreal hemorrhages. Eales' disease with a characteristic clinical picture, fluorescein angiographic finding, and natural course is considered a specific disease entity.

Susac's syndrome (retinocochleocerebral vasculopathy) is a very rare form of microangiopathy characterized by encephalopathy, branch retinal artery occlusions and hearing loss. The cause is unknown but the current thinking is that antibodies are produced against endothelial cells in tiny arteries which leads to damage and the symptoms related to the illness. Despite this being an extremely rare disease, there are 4 registries collecting data on the illness; two are in the United States, one is in Germany and the fourth is in Portugal.

Arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AAION or arteritic AION) is the cause of vision loss that occurs in temporal arteritis (aka giant cell arteritis). Temporal arteritis is an inflammatory disease of medium-sized blood vessels that happens especially with advancing age. AAION occurs in about 15-20 percent of patients with temporal arteritis. Damage to the blood vessels supplying the optic nerves leads to insufficient blood supply (ischemia) to the nerve and subsequent optic nerve fiber death. Most cases of AAION result in nearly complete vision loss first to one eye. If the temporal arteritis is left untreated, the fellow eye will likely suffer vision loss as well within 1–2 weeks. Arteritic AION falls under the general category of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, which also includes non-arteritic AION. AION is considered an eye emergency, immediate treatment is essential to rescue remaining vision.

An exhaustive review article published in March 2009 described the latest information on arteritic and non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy, both anterior (A-AION and NA-AION) and posterior (A-PION, NA-PION, and surgical).

Patients with acquired non-inflammatory myopathy typically experience weakness, cramping, stiffness, and tetany, most commonly in skeletal muscle surrounding the limbs and upper shoulder girdle.

The most commonly reported symptoms are:

- Muscle fatigue

- Pain

- Muscle spasms and cramps

- Tingling

- Numbness

- Tetany

- Loss of coordination and balance

- Lack of fine and gross motor control

- Muscular wasting and atrophy

Patients with idiopathic macular telangiectasia type 1 are typically 40 years of age or older. They may have a coincident history of ischemic vascular diseases such as diabetes or hypertension, but these do not appear to be causative factors.

Macular telangiectasia type 2 usually present first between the ages of 50 and 60 years, with a mean age of 55–59 years. They may present with a wide range of visual impact, from totally asymptomatic to substantially impaired; in most cases however, patients retain functional acuity of 20/200 or better. Metamorphopsia may be a subjective complaint. Due to the development of paracentral scotomota (blind spots), reading ability is impaired early in the disease course. It might be even the first symptom of the disease.

The condition may remain stable for extended periods, sometimes interspersed with sudden decreases in vision. Patients’ loss of visual function is disproportionately worse than the impairment of their visual acuity, which is only mildly affected in many cases. In patients with MacTel, as compared with a reference population, there is a significantly higher prevalence of systemic conditions associated with vascular disease, including history of hypertension, history of diabetes, and history of coronary disease. MacTel does not cause total blindness, yet it commonly causes gradual loss of the central vision required for reading and driving.

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (also known as hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy, Bamberger–Marie syndrome or Osteoarthropathia hypertrophicans) is a medical condition combining clubbing and periostitis of the small hand joints, especially the distal interphalangeal joints and the metacarpophalangeal joints. Distal expansion of the long bones as well as painful, swollen joints and synovial villous proliferation are often seen. The condition may occur alone (primary), or it may be secondary to diseases like lung cancer. It is especially associated with non-small cell lung carcinoma. These patients often get clubbing and increased bone deposition on long bones. Their presenting symptoms are sometimes only clubbing and painful ankles.

A number of conditions may cause the appearance of livedo reticularis:

- Cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita, a rare congenital condition

- Sneddon syndrome – association of livedoid vasculitis and systemic vascular disorders, such as strokes, due to underlying genetic cause

- Idiopathic livedo reticularis – the most common form of livedo reticularis, completely benign condition of unknown cause affecting mostly young women during the winter: It is a lacy purple appearance of skin in extremities due to sluggish venous blood flow. It may be mild, but ulceration may occur later in the summer.

- Secondary livedo reticularis:

- Vasculitis autoimmune conditions:

- Livedoid vasculitis – with painful ulceration occurring in the lower legs

- Polyarteritis nodosa

- Systemic lupus erythematosus

- Dermatomyositis

- Rheumatoid arthritis

- Lymphoma

- Pancreatitis

- Chronic pancreatitis

- Tuberculosis

- Drug-related:

- Adderall (side effect)

- Amantadine (side effect)

- Bromocriptine (side effect)

- Beta IFN treatment, "i.e." in multiple sclerosis

- Livedo reticularis associated with rasagiline

- Methylphenidate and dextroamphetamine-induced peripheral vasculopathy

- Gefitinib

- Obstruction of capillaries:

- Cryoglobulinaemia – proteins in the blood that clump together in cold conditions

- Antiphospholipid syndrome due to small blood clots

- Hypercalcaemia (raised blood calcium levels which may be deposited in the capillaries)

- Haematological disorders of polycythaemia rubra vera or thrombocytosis (excessive red cells or platelets)

- Infections (syphilis, tuberculosis, Lyme disease)

- Associated with acute renal failure due to cholesterol emboli status after cardiac catheterization

- Arteriosclerosis (cholesterol emboli) and homocystinuria (due to Chromosome 21 autosomal recessive Cystathionine beta synthase deficiency)

- Intra-arterial injection (especially in drug addicts)

- Ehlers-Danlos syndrome – connective tissue disorder, often with many secondary conditions, may be present in all types

- Pheochromocytoma

- Livedoid vasculopathy and its association with factor V Leiden mutation

- FILS syndrome (polymerase ε1 mutation in a human syndrome with facial dysmorphism, immunodeficiency, livedo, and short stature)

- Primary hyperoxaluria, oxalosis (oxalate vasculopathy)

- Cytomegalovirus infection (very rare clinical form, presenting with persistent fever and livedo reticularis on the extremities and cutaneous necrotizing vasculitis of the toes)

- Generalized livedo reticularis induced by silicone implants for soft tissue augmentation

- As a rare skin finding in children with Down syndrome

- Idiopathic livedo reticularis with polyclonal IgM hypergammopathy

- CO angiography (rare, reported case)

- A less common skin lesion of Churg-Strauss syndrome

- Erythema nodosum-like cutaneous lesions of sarcoidosis showing livedoid changes in a patient with sarcoidosis and Sjögren's syndrome

- Livedo vasculopathy associated with IgM antiphosphatidylserine-prothrombin complex antibody

- Livedo vasculopathy associated with plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 promoter homozygosity and prothrombin G20210A heterozygosity

- As a first sign of metastatic breast carcinoma (very rare)

- Livedo reticularis associated with renal cell carcinoma (rare)

- Buerger's disease (as an initial symptom)

- As a rare manifestation of Graves hyperthyroidism

- Associated with pernicious anaemia

- Moyamoya disease (a rare, chronic cerebrovascular occlusive disease of unknown cause, characterized by progressive stenosis of the arteries of the circle of Willis leading to an abnormal capillary network and resultant ischemic strokes or cerebral hemorrhages)

- Associated with the use of a midline catheter

- Familial primary cryofibrinogenemia.

Livedoid vasculopathy (also known as "livedoid vasculitis", "livedo reticularis with summer/winter ulceration" and "segmental hyalinizing vasculitis") is a chronic cutaneous disease seen predominantly in young to middle-aged women. One synonym used to describe its features is "Painful purpuric ulcers with pattern of the lower extremities" (PURPLE).

It can be divided into a primary (or idiopathic) form and a secondary form, which has been associated with a number of diseases, including chronic venous hypertension and varicosities.

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy is one of many distant effect disorders due to cancer, with lung cancer being the most common cause but also occurring with ovarian or adrenal malignancies. A distant effect disorder, or a paraneoplastic syndrome, affects distant areas and thus is not related to local compression or obstruction effects from the tumor. Other paraneoplastic syndromes include hypercalcemia, SIADH, Cushing's syndrome and a variety of neurological disorders.

Acquired noninflammatory myopathy can be caused by a variety of factors including metabolic abnormalities, drugs, nutritional deficiency, trauma, and upstream abnormalities resulting in decreased function. Two of the most common causes of ANIM are hyperthyroidism and excessive steroid use, while many drugs used to treat rheumatism are known to be inducing agents. Most cases of ANIM can be linked to drugs or dietary abnormalities.