Preparing for an appointment

Make an appointment with your primary care doctor if you have signs or symptoms that worry you. If your doctor suspects that you have vasculitis, he or she may refer you to a joint and autoimmune disease specialist (rheumatologist) with experience in helping people with this condition. You may also benefit from a multidisciplinary approach. What specialists you see depends on the type and severity of your condition.

Specialists who treat vasculitis include:

• Joint and autoimmune disease doctors (rheumatologists)
• Brain and nervous system doctors (neurologists)
• Eye doctors (ophthalmologists)
• Heart doctors (cardiologists)
• Kidney doctors (nephrologists)
• Lung doctors (pulmonologists)
• Skin doctors (dermatologists)
• Urinary and urogenital system doctors (urologists)

What you can do

Because appointments can be brief, and because there's often a lot to discuss, it's a good idea to be well prepared. Try to:

• Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. At the time you make the appointment, ask if you need to do anything in advance, such as restrict your diet.
• Send previous test information. If you've been referred to a larger medical center, ask your home doctor to forward your previous imaging and biopsy results before the appointment.
• List any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
• List key personal medical information, including other recent health problems or major stresses you've had and any medications, vitamins and supplements you're taking.
• Consider taking a family member or friend with you to the appointment. Someone who accompanies you can help remember what the doctor says.
• List questions you want to ask your doctor.

For vasculitis, some basic questions to ask include:

• What type of vasculitis do I have?
• What's causing my vasculitis?
• Will I need more tests?
• Is my vasculitis acute or chronic?
• Will my vasculitis go away on its own?
• Is my vasculitis serious?
• Has any part of my body been seriously damaged by vasculitis?
• Can my vasculitis be cured?
• What are my treatment options?
• What are the benefits and risks of each treatment?
• Is there one treatment you feel is best for me?
• How long will treatment last?
• I have another medical condition. How can I best manage these conditions together?
• Should I see a specialist?
• Do you have any brochures or other printed material that I can take with me? What websites do you recommend?

What to expect from your doctor

Your doctor may ask:

• When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
• Have your symptoms been continuous or occasional?
• How severe are your symptoms?
• What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
• What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?