Takayasu Artheritis is a rare, inflammatory large-vessel vasculitis that predominantly affects the aorta and its major branches in young women. It causes thickening and inflammation of blood vessels which can lead to stenosis, occlusion, or aneurysm formation. Common presentations include symptoms of claudication, fever, joint pain, and weight loss due to involvement of vessels like the aorta, carotid, and upper extremity arteries. Diagnosis is based on angiographic findings and treatment involves high-dose steroids and immunosuppressants, with good long-term survival when appropriately treated.

1. Takayasu Artheritis

2. Introduction
Takayasu arteritis is a rare, systemic, inflammatory large-vessel vasculitis
of unknown etiology that most commonly affects women of
childbearing age. It is defined as "granulomatous inflammation of the
aorta and its major branches" by the Chapel Hill Consensus Conference
on the Nomenclature of Systemic Vasculitis. The disease is named after
Dr. Mikito Takayasy of Japanese opthalmologist for his discovery of the
disease

3. Epdimology and distribution
• It’s a disease that mostly effects the aorta and it’s branches and
pulmonary arteries. The typical age that the disease starts is in
between 25 and 35 years of age. It predomenentaly effects the
female in a ratio of 8:1. it has a worldwide distribution but more
common in Asia.

4. Etiology and pathogenesis
• The Etiology is unkown
• In pathogenesis, there is microscopic vessel wall thickening and
variable inflammation from a mononuclear adventitial infiltrate with
medial necrosis with granulomatosis.

5. Presentations
• Because of the thickening and weakening/occlution of the vessel, the
patein may present with claudication, fever, arthralgia and weigh loss.
The vessels most commo nlynaffected are the aorta and carotid,
ulnar, brachial, radial and axillary arteries. Clinical examination may
reveal loss of pulses, bruits, hypertension and aortic incompetence.

6. Classification
• type 1: localised to the aorta and its branches
• type 2: localised to the descending thoracic and abdominal aorta
• type 3: combines features of 1 and 2
• type 4: involves the pulmonary artery.

7. Diagnosis and treatment
• Investigation will identify an acute phase response and normocytic,
normochromic anaemia, but the diagnosis is based on angiography,
which reveals coarctation, occlusion and aneurysmal dilatation.
Treatment is with high-dose steroids and immunosuppressants. With
appropriate treatment, the 5-year survival is 83%.