 Most of the time, the cause of episcleritis is never determined (idiopathic).An identifiable cause "is" discovered in about one third of cases.Several diseases are associated with episcleritis, including systemic vasculitis (polyarteritis nodosa, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, Behçet's disease), connective tissue diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, relapsing polychondritis, systemic lupus erythematosus), psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Cogan syndrome, rosacea, gout, atopy, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.