Takayasu's arteritis associated with acute myeloblastic leukemia

Introduction: We present one patient with acute myeloblastic leukemia diagnosed two months after the onset of Takayasu's arteritis. Exegesis:: A 21-year old woman with a previous history of erythema nodosum and episcleritis was admitted for a left cervical mass. Diagnostic imaging showed an aneurism of the left extracranial internal carotid and a stenosis of the left subclavian artery. Histological findings of the carotid aneurism revealed a granulomatous giant cell arteritis consistent with Takayasu's arteritis. Two weeks after, she was discharged, elevated white cell count (440.000/mm(3)) was disclosed. A bone marrow aspirate documented an acute myeloid leukemia. The patient died of intracerebral hemorrhage. Conclusion: Leucocytoclastic vasculitis and polyarteritis nodosa occur in acute myeloid leukemia, but the association with Takayasu's arteritis is new. In our knowledge, only two documented cases of Takayasu's arteritis in association with acute myeloblastic leukemia have been published.