Newswise — The Vasculitis Foundation, the world's largest organization dedicated to providing advocacy, education, and support for people with vasculitis, announces the release of a new video “What I Wish People Knew about Vasculitis” as part of its Vasculitis Awareness Month 2018 celebration. 

Vasculitis is a condition that involves inflammation in the blood vessels. This may happen as the result of an infection, a medicine, or another disease or condition.

 The video features fifteen patients sharing the most important way that vasculitis impacts their lives. “Since many patients may appear healthy on the outside their condition may be underestimated or dismissed," says Joyce Kullman, executive director of the VF.  Patients can share the video with family, friends, co-workers via their social networks to raise awareness about the rare, autoimmune disease. 

Sandy Nye, a patient with Microscopic Polyangiitis (MPA) vasculitis, says the video is an effective way to explain the illness to her family and friends.  “This video reinforces what we as patients already know about how vasculitis affects us.  But the value is that we can share it with others who may not truly understand how it changes our life in every way.  Communicating that message is so important and this VF video helps us do that in a powerful way.”

“What I Wish People Knew About Vasculitis” can be viewed on the the VF’s website:  https://www.vasculitisfoundation.org/2018-vasculitis-awareness-month/.

About the Vasculitis Foundation Based in the United States, the Vasculitis Foundation (VF) is the international organization for patients with vasculitis and their family and friends.  The VF empowers patients through disease education, raises awareness of vasculitis in the public and medical community, and funds research to determine the cause, develop more effective treatments and discover the cure for all types of vasculitis. The foundation is committed to improving the lives of current and future patients and is positioned as the definitive resource for patients, family members, medical professionals and researchers seeking information about vasculitis.