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An Immunohistopathologic Study to Profile the Folate Receptor Beta Macrophage and Vascular Immune Microenvironment in Giant Cell Arteritis
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Beyond Giant Cell Arteritis and Takayasu's Arteritis: Secondary Large Vessel Vasculitis and Vasculitis Mimickers

Alvise Berti1,2, Marta Casal Moura3, Elia Sechi4

  • 1Rheumatology Department, Santa Chiara Regional Hospital and Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Largo Madaglie D'Oro 9, 38121, Trento, Italy. alvise.berti@apss.tn.it.

Current Rheumatology Reports
|November 7, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Diagnosing large vessel vasculitis (LVV) can be challenging. This review outlines conditions mimicking systemic, vascular, or cranial symptoms of giant cell arteritis and Takayasu arteritis.

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Internal Medicine
  • Vascular Medicine

Background:

  • Large vessel vasculitis (LVV), including giant cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu arteritis (TAK), presents diagnostic challenges.
  • Mimicking conditions can obscure the diagnosis, particularly with atypical or incomplete presentations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the differential diagnoses of LVV based on primary clinical manifestations.
  • To categorize mimickers by systemic, vascular, and cranial presentations.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of conditions mimicking LVV.
  • Categorization of differential diagnoses according to clinical presentation.

Main Results:

  • Systemic symptoms (fever, weight loss, elevated inflammatory markers) can mimic neoplastic, infectious, or other inflammatory diseases.
  • Vascular manifestations (ischemia, stenosis, aneurysms) require exclusion of atherosclerosis and non-inflammatory vascular conditions.
  • Cranial symptoms (headache, vision loss, jaw claudication) necessitate consideration of cerebrovascular, neurological, and ophthalmologic disorders.

Conclusions:

  • Accurate diagnosis of LVV requires careful consideration of mimickers across systemic, vascular, and cranial domains.
  • A multidisciplinary approach is recommended for challenging and atypical LVV cases.
Abstract

Keywords:
AneurysmAortitisFever of unknown originGCAGiant cell arteritisHorton’s arteritisIgG4-related diseasesIschemiaLVVLarge vessel vasculitisStrokeTakayasu arteritisVasculitis mimickers

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