Takayasu Arteritis: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

General symptoms may precede circulation problems. Controlling inflammation does not necessarily reverse established arterial narrowing.

Related reading: A different form of vasculitis.

Fatigue, fever and weight loss may occur, followed by arm pain or weakness during use, unequal pulses or blood pressures, or dizziness.

The cause is unclear, with immune activity contributing to vessel-wall inflammation. It is not contagious or simply a consequence of high cholesterol.

Younger women are more frequently affected, but other groups can develop it. Resistant hypertension or persistently unequal pulses warrants assessment without proving the diagnosis.

Assessment includes pulses, blood pressure and vascular imaging using MRI, CT or other appropriate techniques. Inflammatory blood tests are helpful but cannot determine activity alone.

Treatment suppresses inflammation while limiting long-term steroid exposure and managing blood pressure or complications. Selected narrowing or aneurysms require specialist vascular intervention and careful timing.

Stroke, hypertension, kidney damage, aneurysms or heart problems may occur. Risk depends on which vessels are affected.

No established method prevents onset. Avoid smoking, attend imaging and clinical follow-up, and discuss pregnancy and medicines in advance.