Polyarteritis nodosa (poly-ar-ter-itis) is a disease in which the blood vessels are chiefly affected. Only about 500 cases of this disease have been reported. Because this disease is primarily serious damage of blood vessels, it may be reflected in any part of the body.
The condition affects men four times as often as women and, mostly, those between twenty and forty years old. Arthritis and many of the reactions associated with hypersensitivity are seen by the doctor in these patients.