CASE REPORT
A Rare Vasculitis of Childhood, Takayasu Arteritis
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Dicle University Medical School, Department of Pediatrics, Diyarbakır, Turkey
Publication date: 2013-01-09
Corresponding author
Aydın Ece
Dicle University Medical School, Department of Pediatrics, Diyarbakır,
Eur J Gen Med 2013;10(Supplement 1):98-102
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ABSTRACT
Takayasu arteritis is a potentially life threatening vasculitis that characterized by granulomatous inflammation of large vessels
including aorta, its major branches and pulmonary arteries. True incidence of TA is not known in children, since TA is very rare;
however, incidence of TA has been estimated as 0.8-2.6 per million children. Making a diagnosis is more difficult in childhood
compared with adults due to non-specific clinical findings. The diagnosis of TA is done based on clinical criteria, laboratory investigations
support and radiologic images confirm the diagnosis. Corticosteroids with other immunosuppressive drugs are used
for treatment and biological agents are given to resistant cases. In this report, it was aimed to draw attention to a potentially
fatal disease that frequently diagnostic delays and therapeutic difficulties occur. We, herein reported signs, symptoms, imaging
methods and treatment modalities of two children, a 12 year-old male and a 13 year-old female patients, that presented with
non-specific initial symptoms and diagnosed as TA with clinical findings and radiological images.