Takayasu's arteritis: a hospital-region based study on occurrence, treatment and prognosis

Occurrence of Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is described in this work in a defined area of Sweden, namely the Uppsala Hospital region (1.3 million inhabitants). During the eight year period 1969-1976 there were 15 cases of TA discharged from the hospitals in this region. The estimated yearly prevalence was 0.64 per 100,000 inhabitants. All subjects underwent angiography of the aorta and the main vessels. The authors point to the necessity of performing a total aortography. The most common lesions in this study were confined to the subclavian arteries in contrast to the commonly reported lesions of the aortic arch. Six of the fifteen subjects died during the study period. Those who died more often had hypertension hypercholesterolemia and were smokers to a greater extent than those who survived. Treatment with corticosteroids and azathioprine seemed to improve the prognosis. At present a total aortography and/or biopsy of the vessel at autopsy or operation is the most accurate way of establishing the diagnosis.