Takayasu's Arteritis

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Abstract
Takayasu's disease (or arteritis) has been defined as "an idiopathic arteritis involving the arch of the aorta and its major branches." It is predominantly a disease of young women which can give rise, in more than 50% of the cases, to severe neurological manifestations.1 The peculiar restricted anatomical distribution of the arteritis in Takayasu's disease is a puzzle which has led many investigators to doubt that the illness is a "simple" disorder of autoimmunity. For, if this were the case, one would expect a widespread, more generalized arteritis (rather than the selective involvement of the aortic arch and its branches). For this reason and in the absence of any specific laboratory test, the etiology of Takayasu's disease has remained "idiopathic." A recognition and a better understanding of this disease are important for three reasons: (1) The disease is perhaps more common than is suspected (six cases were diagnosed in

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