Ashton Kutcher Vasculitis Disease Explained: Actor Ashton Kutcher has revealed that his battle with vasculitis affected his ability to see, hear or walk for a year. Kutcher revealed her diagnosis in an episode of the show “Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge” that aired Monday night on National Geographic. “Two years ago, I had this weird, incredibly rare form of vasculitis that knocked out my vision. It knocked out my hearing. It knocked, like, all my balance,” Kutcher told Grills. Kutcher’s rare autoimmune condition, vasculitis, is a disorder characterized by inflammation of the blood vessels that can be life-threatening. Experts say it’s very difficult to diagnose.Also Read – Interested in an adventurous ride like PM Modi’s ‘Man vs. Wild’ in Jim Corbett? Here’s how you can | Explained
But what exactly is vasculitis and how does it affect humans? Know its symptoms, risk factors and how it is treated? Also Read – What is scrub typhus? You need to know about the bacterial infection that killed a 12-year-old boy in Meerut
What is vasculitis?
- Vasculitis means inflammation of the blood vessels. It occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the veins, arteries and small capillaries.
- Inflammation is your immune system’s natural response to injury or infection.
- It causes swelling and can help the body deal with invading germs.
- In vasculitis, however, the immune system attacks healthy blood vessels, causing them to swell and narrow – according to the NHS.
- This can be triggered by infection or medication, but the cause is often unknown.
- Vasculitis can range from a minor problem affecting the skin, to a more serious illness that causes problems with organs such as the heart or kidneys.
Vasculitis risk factors, symptoms
- According to the NIH, age, ethnicity, family history and lifestyle factors such as smoking and illicit drug use can contribute to the risk of vasculitis.
- Certain medications for high blood pressure, thyroid disease and infections can also contribute, according to the website.
- There are different types of vasculitis, and it can affect any blood vessel in the body. Sufferers may experience common symptoms, such as fever, weight loss, fatigue, aches and rashes.
- Depending on the part of the body affected and if the vasculitis is severe, the patient may also have other symptoms.
- According to the website, vasculitis can occur alone or with other rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or scleroderma.
- Having a hepatitis B or C infection can also be a trigger, as can blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma.
Vasculitis diagnosis and treatment
“Common ways to diagnose a patient with vasculitis are black spots on the tips of their fingers or toes, because they are the furthest from your heart,” Oglai explained. Also Read – Could monkeypox be the new STD? 95% of cases are transmitted through sexual activity, studies show. Top points to know
“As the vessels become inflamed, the blood doesn’t flow through them so you get cell death in the very distal extremities.”
Oglai said patients with vasculitis are usually first given a steroid, such as prednisone, which suppresses the immune system. If steroids don’t seem to solve the problem or if the vasculitis returns, patients can be given methotrexate, “an immunosuppressant drug used for vasculitis and other types of autoimmune diseases,” Oglai said.
Oglai added, “Vasculitis itself is very common. For most people it is a short-term affair and results spontaneously.
Note: The symptoms of vasculitis vary depending on the part of the body it affects. Because vasculitis can attack any blood vessel, each patient’s case will be different, says Dr. Anisha Dua said.
It is not clear what causes vasculitis or its flare-ups. Sometimes an illness or stressful event “triggers this whole cascade of events,” Dua said.
