Comparison of Clinical Features at the Onset of Takayasu's Arteritis According to Age and Sex

Organ Damage and Quality of Life in Takayasu Arteritis - Evidence From a National Registry Analysis

BACKGROUND

Takayasu arteritis, affecting primarily young women, damages large arteries and organs. We examined the impact of disease duration and sex on organ damage and quality of life using Japan's Intractable Disease Registry.Methods and Results: After refining data, 2,013 of 2,795 patients were included in the study. Longer disease duration was related to a lower prevalence of disease activity symptoms, a higher prevalence of organ damage, and a higher proportion of patients requiring nursing care. Compared with men, women tended to have an earlier onset age, exhibiting longer disease duration. A higher proportion of women had aortic regurgitation and required nursing care. The proportion of female patients in employment was lower than that of the general female population, whereas no difference was observed between male patients and the general male population. Logistic regression analysis revealed that age at surveillance, brain ischemia, visual impairment/loss, and ischemic heart disease were significant factors associated with high nursing care needs (Level ≥2, with daily activity limitations).

CONCLUSIONS

Early diagnosis and effective treatment, particularly to prevent brain ischemia, visual impairment, and ischemic heart disease, may improve the quality of life of patients with Takayasu arteritis, especially women.

Venous, Arterial, and Neuropathic Leg Ulcers With Emphasis on the Geriatric Population

Leg ulcers are a common and often serious problem in older adults. Underlying conditions that increase risk include age-related increases in chronic venous insufficiency, peripheral artery disease, connective tissue and autoimmune conditions, reduced mobility, and diabetes mellitus (DM). Geriatric patients have a higher risk of multiple wound-related complications including infection, cellulitis, ischemia, and gangrene, any of which may lead to further complications including amputation. The very presence of these lower extremity ulcers in the elderly negatively impacts their quality of life and ability to function. Understanding and early identification of the underlying conditions and wound features are important for effective ulcer healing and complication mitigation. This targeted review focuses on the three most common types of lower extremity ulcers: venous, arterial, and neuropathic. The goal of this paper is to characterize and discuss the general and specific aspects of these lower extremity ulcers and their relevancy and impact on the geriatric population. The top five main results of this study can be summarized as follows. (1) Venous ulcers, caused by inflammatory processes secondary to venous reflux and hypertension, are the most common chronic leg ulcer in the geriatric population. (2) Arterial-ischemic ulcers are mainly due to lower extremity vascular disease, which itself tends to increase with increasing age setting the stage for an age-related increase in leg ulcers. (3) Persons with DM are at increased risk of developing foot ulcers mainly due to neuropathy and localized ischemia, both of which tend to increase with advancing age. (4) In geriatric patients with leg ulcers, it is important to rule out vasculitis or malignancy as causes. (5) Treatment is best made on a case-by-case basis, considering the patient's underlying condition, comorbidities, overall health status, and life expectancy.

Age, sex and angiographic type-related phenotypic differences in inpatients with Takayasu arteritis: A 13-year retrospective study at a national referral center in China

Backgrounds

We aimed to investigate the demographic characteristics, vascular involvement, angiographic patterns, complications, and associations of these variables in a large sample of TAK patients at a national referral center in China.

Methods

The medical records of TAK patients discharged from 2008 to 2020 were retrieved from the hospital discharge database using ICD-10 codes. Demographic data, vascular lesions, Numano classifications and complications were collected and analyzed.

Results

The median age at onset was 25 years in 852 TAK patients (670 female, 182 male). Compared with the females, the male patients were more likely to have type IV and were more likely to have iliac (24.7% vs. 10.0%) and renal artery (62.7% vs. 53.9%) involvement. They also had a higher prevalence of systemic hypertension (62.1% vs. 42.4%), renal dysfunction (12.6% vs. 7.8%) and aortic aneurysm (AA) (8.2% vs. 3.6%). The childhood-onset group was more likely to have involvement of the abdominal aorta (68.4% vs. 52.1%), renal artery (69.0% vs. 51.8%) and superior mesenteric artery (41.5% vs. 28.5%), and they were more likely to have type IV, V and hypertension than the adult-onset group. After adjusting for sex and age at onset, the patients with type II were associated with an increased risk of cardiac dysfunction (II vs. I: OR = 5.42; II vs. IV: OR = 2.63) and pulmonary hypertension (II vs. I: OR = 4.78; II vs. IV: OR = 3.95) compared with those with types I and IV. Valvular abnormalities (61.0%) were observed to be most prevalent in patients with type IIa. The patients with Type III were associated with a higher risk of aortic aneurysm (23.3%) than the patients with types IV (OR = 11.00) and V (OR = 5.98). The patients with types III and IV were more commonly complicated with systemic hypertension than the patients with types I, II and V. P < 0.05 in all of the above comparisons.

Conclusion

Sex, adult/childhood presentation and Numano angiographic type were significantly associated with differences in phenotypic manifestations, especially cardiopulmonary abnormalities, systemic hypertension, renal dysfunction and aortic aneurysm.

Analysis of clinical features between active and inactive patients of Takayasu's arteritis with pulmonary arteries involvement

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients between active and inactive Takayasu's arteritis with pulmonary artery involvement (PTA) and to identify better markers of disease activity in these patients.

METHODS

Sixty-four PTA patients in Beijing Chao-yang hospital (2011 to 2021) were included. According to National Institutes of Health criteria, 29 patients were in active stage and 35 were in inactive stage. Their medical records were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

Compared with inactive group, patients in active group were younger. More patients in active stage presented fever (41.38% vs 5.71%), chest pain (55.17% vs 20%), increased C-reactive protein (2.91 vs 0.46 mg/L), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (35.0 vs 9 mm/h), and platelet count (291 vs 221 × 10⁹/L). Pulmonary artery wall thickening was more common in active group (51.72% vs 11.43%). These parameters were restored after treatment. The incidence of pulmonary hypertension was comparable between groups (34.48% vs 51.43%), but patients in active group had lower pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) (361.0 vs 891.0 dyn·s·cm^-5) and higher cardiac index (2.76 ± 0.72 vs 2.01 ± 0.58 L/min/m²). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, chest pain [odds ratio (OR) 9.37, 95%CI (1.98-44.38), P = 0.005], increased platelet count (>242.5 × 10⁹/L) [OR 9.03, 95%CI (2.10-38.87), P = 0.003] and pulmonary artery wall thickening [OR 7.08, 95%CI (1.44-34.89), P = 0.016] were independently associated with disease activity.

CONCLUSION

Chest pain, increased platelet count, and pulmonary artery wall thickening are potential new indicators of disease activity in PTA. Patients in active stage may have lower PVR and better right heart function.

Male Patients with Takayasu Arteritis and Coronary Artery Involvement are Prone to have Serious Coronary Stenosis and High Mortality

BACKGROUND

Takayasu arteritis (TAK) is a rare autoimmune vasculitis that predominantly affects the aorta and its major branches, including the coronary arteries. Limited information is available regarding sex-specific differences in coronary artery involvement among TAK patients.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the differences in coronary angiographic findings and the long-term outcomes between male and female TAK patients having coronary artery involvement.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included 87 TAK patients, grouped by sex, who underwent coronary angiography. General characteristics, clinical features, coronary angiographic findings, and therapeutic strategies were obtained from medical records. Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE), including death from any cause; myocardial infarction; repeated coronary artery revascularization; and rehospitalization due to unstable or progressive angina, or heart failure occurring during follow-up, were also recorded.

RESULTS

A total of 207 coronary lesions with stenosis were found in 87 TAK patients. The prevalence of ostial coronary lesions was lower in men than in women (9.1 vs. 23.9%, p=0.031). We observed less moderate stenosis (6.8 vs 22.7%, p=0.018) and more severe stenosis or occlusion (70.5 vs 46.0%, p=0.004) in the coronary lesions of male TAK patients. During the up to 7-year follow-up, death from any cause was greater in men than in women (21.4 vs. 1.5%, p=0.003); no other significant differences in MACE occurrence were observed between sexes.

CONCLUSIONS

Among TAK patients with coronary artery involvement, males tend to have more severe coronary stenosis and a higher risk for long-term mortality than females.