TY - JOUR T1 - Takayasu Arteritis and Pregnancy from the Point of View of the Internist JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 1554 LP - 1555 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.080362 VL - 36 IS - 7 AU - ORIOL GASCH AU - ANTONIO VIDALLER AU - RAMON PUJOL Y1 - 2009/07/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/36/7/1554.abstract N2 - To the Editor:Takayasu’s arteritis (TA) usually affects young women of childbearing age, sometimes coinciding with pregnancy. Both incidence and clinical expression are different depending on the geographic area, probably because of different HLA antigens associated1,2. Some observational studies attribute a better prognosis in Western patients3. Only a few Caucasian cases of TA and pregnancy have been published. We describe the clinical and epidemiological features of 4 successful deliveries in 3 patients with TA, underlining the most important data from the internist’s point of view. Case 1 A 22-year-old Caucasian woman was admitted because of malaise during the last 4 months and inflammatory back pain. At examination, blood pressure was 125/80 mm Hg, all pulses were symmetrically palpable, and an epigastric bruit was heard. Routine blood components showed hemoglobin 9’4 g/dl, mutated citrullinated vimentin antibodies (MCV) 76, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) 150 mm/h. An arteriography demonstrated stenosis of abdominal aorta, including both renal arteries as well as mesenteric artery. Carotid artery was also affected (Figure 1A). She was diagnosed with TA, and prednisone (1 mg/kg) was started and then progressively tapered, with a progressive extinction of the symptoms and normalization of acute reactants.Figure 1. A. Case 1: arteriography showing affected carotid artery. B. Case 2: CT: aorta aneurysm. C: Case 3: DIVAS scan showing stenosis … Address reprint requests to Dr. Gasch. E-mail: urigasch{at}hotmail.com ER -