Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 16, 2025
An Immunohistopathologic Study to Profile the Folate Receptor Beta Macrophage and Vascular Immune Microenvironment in Giant Cell Arteritis
Published on: February 8, 2019
Crohn's disease and Takayasu's arteritis: are they associated?
A D Guarino1, A Testa, I Mormile
1Gastroenterology, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, School of Medicine Federico II of Naples, Naples, Italy. fabcasti@unina.it.
Insights
Inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], particularly Crohn's disease [CD], can coexist with Takayasu's arteritis [TAK]. Early diagnosis and multidisciplinary management are crucial for patients with both conditions.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Gastroenterology
- Rheumatology
Background:
- Inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], including Crohn's disease [CD], can present with various forms of vasculitis.
- Large vessel vasculitis, specifically Takayasu's arteritis [TAK], is a notable comorbidity in IBD patients.
Observation:
- The coexistence of Crohn's disease [CD] and Takayasu's arteritis [TAK] is uncommon but reported, particularly in young women.
- Three cases of concurrent CD and TAK are presented, alongside a literature review on the association between these immune-related disorders.
Findings:
- The combined presence of CD and TAK complicates diagnosis and treatment due to the severity of both conditions.
- Takayasu's arteritis [TAK] may exacerbate IBD by affecting intestinal vasculature.
- Surgical intervention for IBD complications and biological therapy were administered to the reported patients with varied responses.
Implications:
- Early identification of coexisting CD and TAK is vital for effective, multidisciplinary patient management.
- Further research may identify shared therapeutic targets for these immune-related disorders.
Objective:
Different types of vasculitis can occur in patients with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], but large vessels vasculitis seems to be the most prevalent. Indeed, the presence of both Crohn's disease [CD] and Takayasu's arteritis [TAK] has previously been reported, with higher prevalence in young women between the second and the third decade of life. This article aims to provide clinicians with an accurate picture of the most common clinical features and current treatment strategy for patients with both CD and TAK.
Patients And Methods:
We described the coexistence of CD and TAK in three young women and also performed an extensive literature review about the association of these two immune-related disorders. Research on PubMed server was performed typing the terms "Takayasu's arteritis and inflammatory bowel disease", "Takayasu's arteritis and Crohn's disease", and "Takayasu's arteritis and Ulcerative colitis".
Results:
Although the association of CD with TAK is uncommon, due to the severity of both diseases, concomitance in the same patient may significantly complicate the diagnostic and therapeutic work-up. In addition, since TAK can compromise intestinal vasculature, it may possibly exacerbate the clinical course of patients with IBD. All patients we reported underwent surgery due to IBD complications and two of them started biological therapy with different outcomes.
Conclusions:
Early detention of these conditions has a great importance for both gastroenterologists and immunologists, for ensuring a tailored multidisciplinary management, possibly in order to identify a common therapy for these two immune-related disorders.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:30Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Crohn's Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease, commonly known as IBD, refers to a collection of disorders that lead to persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The two types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which impacts the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can involve any part of the gastrointestinal segment.
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a chronic, systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is marked by...
01:24Drugs for Treatment of Crohn's Disease in IBD Using Biologic Agents: Anti-TNF
01:23Rheumatic Heart Disease I: Introduction
01:22Rheumatic Heart Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
01:17Chronic Bowel Disorders: Introduction
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The distinctive feature is recurrent abdominal pain associated with altered bowel movements, manifesting as constipation, diarrhea, or fluctuating between both. The...
01:29Autoimmune Disorders
Concept and Mechanism of Autoimmune Diseases
The immune...