Takayasu Arteritis in a Young Woman A 4-Year Case History

Takayasu arteritis is a chronic, progressive, autoimmune, idiopathic, large-vessel vasculitis that usually affects young adults. The disease has been reported to occur in all races and ethnicities. The diffuse nature of this vasculitis can affect multiple-organ systems to varying degrees. Herein, we report the case of a young woman whose exertional angina and claudication were the initial presentation of active Takayasu arteritis. During more than 4 years of ongoing treatment, therapy, and follow-up, she has displayed differing disease symptoms of varying intensity We discuss the challenges of managing Takayasu arteritis in our patient and describe different treatments for this rare vasculitic disorder (Tex Heart Inst J 2009,36(5):470-4)