The systemic vasculitides represent a significant diagnostic and management problem. Their impact is out of proportion to their incidence, because these diseases are rare, numbering between a few to several tens per million people. Vasculitis may be localised and clinically insignificant or more generalised with severe life threatening complications, when damaged vessels cause insufficient blood flow and ischaemia with serious internal organ dysfunction. Mortality in this group of patients is high and prognosis even in remission is poor. The classification of vasculitis is not easy and in spite of modifications none is very good. This study presents diagnostic problems of vasculitis in cases observed in the Rheumatology Department between 1.01.2006 and 30.06.2006.