Systemic manifestations of Takayasu arteritis: the expanding spectrum.

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a chronic inflammatory and obliterative disease of large vessels particularly the aorta and its major branches. Recently, the disease has been shown to involve the parenchyma of various organs. Specific glomerular lesions reported in patients with TA are mesangial proliferative, membrano-proliferative, crescentic glomerulonephritis and amyloidosis. Dermatological manifestations of this disease are erythema nodosum, facial lupus rash and erythema induratum. Dilated cardiomyopathy, myocarditis and pericarditis have been reported in TA. Rarely, interstitial lung disease, pneumonic consolidation, idiopathic ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis and polymyositis have been described in association with TA. In this report, five patients of TA with primary parenchymatous involvement of kidneys, skin, heart and gastrointestinal tract have been described. An association of primary parenchymatous organ involvement and TA suggests an autosensitization to an unidentified antigen in the pathogenesis of TA.