Takayasu arteritis causes chronic blood vessel inflammation, mainly of the aorta (the artery that connects directly with the heart), the arteries that branch off from it, and the pulmonary arteries.
The cause of Takayasu arteritis is unknown.
People may have general symptoms, such as fever or muscle or joint aches, followed by specific symptoms depending on which organs are affected.
An imaging test of the aorta is done to confirm the diagnosis.
A corticosteroid and sometimes another drug that suppresses the immune system can usually control the inflammation.
(See Overview of Vasculitis.)
Takayasu arteritis is rare. It is more common among people who are Asian but occurs worldwide. It affects mostly women aged 15 to 30. The cause of Takayasu arteritis is unknown.
The aorta and its branches, including arteries that take blood to the head and the kidneys, become inflamed. In about half of people, the pulmonary arteries are also affected. Inflammation may cause sections of these arteries to become narrow or blocked. The walls of the aorta or its branches may thicken, resulting in a bulge (aneurysm). The affected arteries cannot provide enough blood to the tissues they supply.
Symptoms of Takayasu Arteritis
Takayasu arteritis is a chronic disorder with symptoms that fluctuate in severity.
Sometimes the disorder begins with fever, muscle and joint aches, loss of appetite, weight loss, and night sweats. But usually, symptoms occur when an artery narrows, reducing blood flow to part of the body, as in the following:
Arms or legs: The arms ache and tire easily when repetitive arm movements are done or the arms are elevated for a long period of time. When walking, people may feel pain, usually in the calves—a symptom called claudication. The pulse and blood pressure may be decreased in one or both arms or legs.
Head: People may feel dizzy or faint, have headaches, or have problems with vision. Less often, a stroke results.
Heart: Sometimes blood flow to the heart is reduced, and angina or a heart attack results.
Kidneys: The kidneys may malfunction because the arteries that supply blood to the kidneys become narrowed. This narrowing can result in high blood pressure. High blood pressure increases the risk of kidney failure, strokes, and heart attacks.
Lungs: Blood pressure in the lungs becomes very high (pulmonary hypertension). People feel short of breath, tire easily, and may have chest pain.
Some people do not have any symptoms. In other people, the disorder progresses, causing serious complications such as strokes, heart failure, heart attacks, kidney failure, and aneurysms.
Diagnosis of Takayasu Arteritis
A doctor's evaluation
Imaging tests
Doctors suspect Takayasu arteritis based on the following, especially in young women:
Blood pressure cannot be measured in one or both arms.
Blood pressure is much higher or the pulse is much stronger in one arm or leg than in the other.
Blood pressure is unexpectedly high.
A person has a disorder such as stroke, angina, heart attack, or kidney damage that has no apparent explanation and that is unexpected.
Doctors ask about symptoms, review the person’s medical history, and do a complete physical examination to exclude other disorders that may cause similar symptoms. Doctors measure blood pressure in both arms and both legs. Arms and legs that have lower blood pressure may have narrowed arteries. To get an accurate blood pressure measurement, doctors measure blood pressure in a limb where arteries have not been narrowed by the disease.
Blood tests and urine tests are done. They cannot identify the disorder but may confirm that inflammation is present.
To confirm the diagnosis of Takayasu arteritis, doctors do imaging tests such as magnetic resonance angiography or computed tomography (CT) angiography, or sometimes conventional angiography (also called arteriography), to evaluate the aorta and its branches. For conventional or CT angiography, a contrast agent that can be seen on x-rays (radiopaque contrast agent) is injected into blood vessels to outline them. Then x-rays are taken. Magnetic resonance angiography does not require the injection of a dye. These procedures can detect aneurysms and show where the arteries are narrowed and where the vessel walls are thickened.
After Takayasu arteritis is diagnosed, regular doctor visits should be scheduled so that the doctor can check whether the disorder is progressing.
Prognosis for Takayasu Arteritis
For 20% of people, the disorder occurs once and does not return. For the rest, the disorder goes away and returns or is chronic and progressively worsens. Even when symptoms and laboratory test abnormalities suggest the disorder is not active, new symptoms occur or an abnormality is seen during imaging studies. The prognosis is poorer for people whose disorder is progressively worsening and who have complications (such as high blood pressure, heart failure, or aneurysms).
Treatment of Takayasu Arteritis
Corticosteroids
Sometimes other immunosuppressants
Drugs to treat high blood pressure
Sometimes surgery
How long drugs should be given has not been determined. The dose of the corticosteroid is gradually reduced, and the drug is eventually stopped because these drugs, especially when used for a long time, can have serious side effects. When drugs are stopped, symptoms return in about one half of people, so the drugs may need to be restarted.
High blood pressure must be controlled to prevent complications (see Treatment of High Blood Pressure
Bypass surgery may be used to re-establish blood flow. For example, if people have difficulty using their arms or walking, bypass surgery may be done to restore the blood flow to the affected limb. Another bypass surgery, coronary artery bypass grafting, may be needed to restore blood flow to heart muscle if the arteritis affects the heart arteries. Alternatively, a procedure such as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty) may be used, depending on the symptoms, but may not work as well as bypass surgery.
More Information
The following English-language resource may be useful. Please note that THE MANUAL is not responsible for the content of this resource.
Vasculitis Foundation: Provides information for patients about vasculitis, including how to find a doctor, learn about research studies, and join patient advocacy groups
