Clinical Observation of Takayasu Arteritis

Aim. To analyze the features of the clinical course and difficulties in diagnosing nonspecific aortoarteritis in a young patient with multiple clinical manifestations of the disease at an early stage. Key points. Takayasu's disease, or nonspecific aortoarteritis, is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the aorta and its branches. The incidence in Russia is 2.6 per 1 million population. Takayasu's arteritis has high social and economic significance due to the difficulty of diagnosis at early stages, which leads to disability and premature death of patients. In most patients, due to the persistence of inflammatory changes in the vessels, despite adequately selected therapy, new lesions appear over time. In the given clinical case of a 20-year-old young man, the diagnostic search took more than 5 years: the patient sought help from a pediatrician, a therapist, was hospitalized in the profiles of infectious diseases, pulmonology, rheumatology. Difficulties in diagnosis arose due to the nonspecificity of symptoms in the early stages of the disease, the presence of concomitant undifferentiated lung disease and the persistence of herpesvirus infection. Specific symptoms of damage to the arterial bed appeared later, this was confirmed by instrumental studies, and nonspecific aortoarteritis of type I and then type V was diagnosed. Conclusion. Low prevalence of the disease in Russia reduces doctors' alertness regarding nonspecific aortoarteritis and risk factors for its occurrence, which increases the time of diagnosis. Patients with nonspecific aortoarteritis can be defined as complex, since differential search due to the variety of manifestations includes a large number of diseases. Keywords: Takayasu's disease, nonspecific aortoarteritis, aortic arch syndrome, pulseless disease, systemic vasculitis.