Patients with vasculitis commonly develop cardiovascular disease. The reasons for this are
not clear and is not adequately treated with current drugs. It is thus understand the reasons
why patients with vasculitis develop cardiovascular disease in order to develop new drugs to
reduced this risk.
Endothelin is a chemical produced by blood vessels that contributes to the development of
hypertension and cardiovascular disease Higher than normal levels of endothelin are seen in
patients with vasculitis but how this contributes to cardiovascular disease in patients with
vasculitis is not clear. By using drugs that block the effects of endothelin ('endothelin
receptor antagonists') the investigators can hopefully reduce the risk of cardiovascular
disease in patients with vasculitis. The purpose of the study is to ascertain if endothelin
receptor antagonists improve blood vessel function in patients with vasculitis.