ABSTRACT
Elucidating the epidemiology of the vasculitides is a challenge made complicated by the relative rarity of the respective conditions, difficulty in disease classification, variable time lag between onset of symptoms and diagnosis, and unknown etiologies. Recent progress has been made, however, in describing clinical characteristics, improving treatment options, and estimating incidence and prevalence rates for these syndromes. In this chapter, we describe the key features central to all epidemiological research, present a summary of different types of epidemiological investigations, and provide an overview of the epidemiology of specific vasculitic conditions by citing recently published papers.
