[Takayasu arteritis; IV. Absence of autoantibodies and coagulation/fibrinolysis abnormalities]

The etiopathogenesis of the non-specific arteritis known as Takayasu's arteritis, an inflammatory occlusive disease of the aorta and its main branches, is unknown. We searched for abnormalities in clotting and fibrinolytic systems, as well as the presence of non-organ specific autoantibodies, including those potentially reactive with vascular endothelium, in 21 untreated patients. There were only minor abnormalities in coagulation and fibrinolysis in a few patients, and the occasional presence of non-organ specific antibodies, including antiphospholipid antibodies. The findings had no clinical relevance. This study suggests that there is no support for a significative role of humoral immunity, coagulation and fibrinolysis in the pathogenesis of Takayasu's arteritis.