EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF TAKAYASU ARTERITIS

Abstract

Systemic vasculitis is a group of heterogeneous diseases characterized by inflammation of the vascular wall. They can be primary or arise in the context of another disease. Blood vessels of different sizes are affected, being mainly divided into small, medium and large vessels. Takayasu arteritis is a vasculitis of the large blood vessels, most often affecting the aorta and its branches, subclavian arteries, iliac, femoral arteries and others. The presented clinical case concerns a woman with non-specific symptoms - low fever, sweating, weight loss, fatigue. After excluding an infectious genesis of the complaints, a diagnosis of Takayasu arteritis was made in the early phase of the disease as a result of positron emission tomography. Corticosteroid and immunosuppressive therapy was started. After performance of follow-up PET scan 20 months after the start of the therapy, a significant regression to the absence of the findings from the imaging study was observed.