Takayasu Disease
(Takayasu Arteritis)
Medical Author: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
What is Takayasu disease?
Takayasu
disease or Takayasu arteritis is a chronic inflammation of the
large
blood vessel that distributes blood from the heart, called the aorta.
It is most common in women (90%) of Asian descent. It usually begins
between 10 and 30 years of age. The cause is unknown.
Takayasu disease has also been referred to as pulseless disease and
aortic arch syndrome.
What are symptoms of Takayasu disease?
The inflammation of the aorta and its branch arteries can lead to
poor blood supply to tissues of the body in patients with Takayasu
disease. This can cause painful,
cool or blanched extremities, dizziness, headaches, chest pain, and
abdominal pain. Other early symptoms can include fatigue, weight
loss, and low-grade fever.
How is Takayasu disease diagnosed?
The doctor can find elevated blood pressure in over half of the
patients with Takayasu disease. Abnormal sounds of blood movement
through blood vessels can
sometimes be heard with a stethoscope. Small notches in the ribs of
the back of the chest have sometimes been detected on routine chest x-rays and are felt to be a result of abnormal pulsations of blood
vessels in these areas.
The diagnosis is supported by
the blood tests, such as a sedimentation rate (sed rate), that
suggest inflammation in the body. In fact, elevated blood pressure with an elevated sedimentation rate is distinctly uncommon in children and very helpful in suggesting Takayasu disease as a possible cause. Anemia (low red blood cell
count) is frequent.
Takayasu arteritis is ultimately diagnosed with
an angiogram of the arteries (arteriogram) whereby a contrast
material is injected into the blood vessels which makes them visible
by x-ray. With the arteriogram, the doctor can visualize the
abnormally narrowed and constricted arteries. Studies have shown successful diagnosis of Takayasu disease using magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). MRA, the combination of an MRI scan with angiogram, could be used as a noninvasive method of diagnosing and monitoring patients with Takayasu
disease.
Next: How is Takayasu disease treated? »
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