Teenagers with Vasculitis

There may be a number of young people across Canada who are impacted by vasculitis. Some of the challenges faced by teens with vasculitis also come from the fact that, this tends to be a time of change in a young person’s life, which comes with many of its own stresses. As a teenager, you are often establishing your own identities at this time and developing social, emotional, and financial independence. A diagnosis of vasculitis can often throw all of these things into disarray.

For some teenagers and their families they tend to focus on getting through flares and managing treatment. But a number of concerns can come up for you as well. Some of these might last a long time. They can include things like:

• Worrying about whether or not your vasculitis will go in remission.
• Resenting having vasculitis and having to take medication such as prednisone to manage the disease when your friends do not have too
• Having to become more reliant on your parents at a time when a person is normally becoming more independent
• Having concerns about what to tell others or being treated differently by (friends, classmates, etc.)