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Start free with EleplanPrimary angiitis of the central nervous system
ORPHA:140989Disease
Also called Isolated angiitis of the central nervous system · PACNS · PCNSV · Primary central nervous system vasculitis · Primary vasculitis of the central nervous system
What it is
A rare, medium or small vessel vasculitis characterized by focal and/or diffuse neurologic symptoms due to a documented arteritic process in the central nervous system, in the absence of other identified underlying cause (infectious, systemic, other neurologic diseases, etc.). It presents with non-specific symptoms of headache, stroke or transient ischemic attacks with cognitive impairment, hemiplegia, weakness, and rarely, with cranial nerve involvement, seizures and ataxia.
Key facts
- Prevalence
- 1-9 / 1 000 000 (annual incidence, United States)
- Age of onset
- All ages
- Inheritance
- Not applicable
- Classified as
- Disease
Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.
Signs and symptoms
Common30–79%
12Sometimes5–29%
12- Abnormal visual field test
- Ataxia
- Blurred vision
- Diplopia
- Dysarthria
- Fever
- Intracranial hemorrhage
- Paraparesis
and 4 more in this range
These ranges are how often a sign appears across everyone diagnosed, not a prediction for one person — most people have some of these and not others. Orphanet also records findings that are specifically absent in this disease; those are in the data but not listed here.
ICD-10 codes
ICD-10 has no distinct code for most rare diseases, so many are filed under the nearest available one. A shared code identifies the group, not this disease — the ORPHAcode above is what identifies it.
Related health topics
Reached through the ICD-10 categories this disease is filed under, so these describe the broader group rather than this disease specifically.
Cross-references
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
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