Takayasu Arteritis

SAN DIEGO — A growing body of clinical trial data are increasingly guiding the treatment landscape for giant cell and Takayasu arteritis, according to a presenter at the 2023 Congress of Clinical Rheumatology West.

MRI and PET scans are viable alternatives to ultrasound for cranial arteries in patients with suspected giant cell arteritis, according to a 2023 update of EULAR’s recommendations for imaging in large vessel vasculitis.

Pregnant patients with Takayasu arteritis demonstrate an increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, including hypertension and miscarriage, compared with the general population, according to a meta-analysis published in Nature.

Takayasu arteritis in pregnant patients is associated with a high prevalence of adverse outcomes for both the parent and the fetus, topped by risks for caesarean sections and low birth weight, according to meta-analysis data presented here.

The American College of Rheumatology and EULAR have updated classification criteria for five types of large- and small-vessel vasculitis, driven in part by advances in diagnostic imaging, according to presenters at ACR Convergence 2021.

The American College of Rheumatology has released three new vasculitis treatment guidelines — for ANCA-associated vasculitis, giant cell arteritis and Takayasu arteritis, and polyarteritis nodosa — with a fourth expected soon.

When a disease has no clear etiology and no cure — as is the case with Takayasu arteritis — any advance feels like a big advance.