From Anaemia to Arteritis: Unravelling the Diagnosis of Large Vessel Vasculitis

Large vessel vasculitis (LVV) is a rare but serious inflammatory condition that often presents with nonspecific systemic symptoms, making early diagnosis challenging. This case report describes a 59-year-old female who presented with progressive fatigue, myalgia, weight loss, and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA). The diagnosis of LVV was established following a CT scan performed during the evaluation of IDA, revealing a rare but important cause of her symptoms. Clinical suspicion for vasculitis was initially low despite systemic features. The patient was treated with high-dose corticosteroids followed by disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, resulting in marked symptomatic improvement and normalisation of inflammatory markers. This case emphasises the importance of considering LVV in the differential diagnosis of patients with anaemia of unclear aetiology and systemic symptoms, especially when vascular involvement is suspected.