Route Map

Printed copies of the Route Map will be available from 14th May 2012 at a cost of £8 + £2 p&p. Please contact

The Route Map for Vasculitis has been produced by Vasculitis UK in conjunction with the Renal Immunobiology Group at the University of Birmingham. This work is part of the Route Maps for Rare Conditions projects which have been facilitated by Genetic Alliance UK (www.geneticalliance.org.uk) and funded by the Department of Health in England.

The Route Map is intended for two main audiences: For Vasculitis patients and their families

The route map provides information on the vasculitic disease, the problems associated with living with vasculitis, and where to find help (financial and pastoral) are in one up-to-date document. Prior to the publication of the Route Map patients and carers would have to access multiple websites, some of which contain unreliable and outdated information and data. For Medical professionals - Medical students - Nurses - Social care professionals - Doctors undertaking medical examinations for government benefits

For professionals, who may never have dealt with a vasculitis patient before, the Route Map is a basic guide to the vasculitides. In addition to the basic information on the vasculitides the Route Map contains essential vasculitis information, research articles and further reading.

Vasculitis & Lupus Clinic, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "I have been most impressed by the scope and consistent quality of the vasculitis route map. The lack of availability of reliable information for vasculitis patients and their carers continues to be another hurdle in the journey they have to make, and the route map will be widely welcomed. For a potentially severe disease, such as vasculitis, an understanding of what is known, and not known, and of what lies ahead enables patients to better participate in medical decisions about their future. Promoting a partnership between patients and health care professionals will drive up standards of care."

Professor of Nephrology and the medical advisor to Vasculitis UK, said: “The diseases we call vasculitis are rare but have a big impact on the people they affect. We hope the Route Map will become a reference source for people affected by any kind of vasculitis and the GPs who care for them.”

The Route Map project has taken 18 months to produce, finally being completed in March 2012. This work included collecting and collating information, verification of the medical section by Dr Matt Morgan of Birmingham University Hospital and preparation of this web-based document and also production of a printed version. However, the Editor is conscious that the Route Map will require periodic update. If you have any comments to make or suggestions for inclusion in future updates, then please contact