Takayasu arteritis masquerading as recurrent abdominal pain

Abstract

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a rare granulomatous inflammation of large arteries, specifically the aorta and its branches. It is more prevalent in young Asian women with the highest incidence in Japan. There is a delay in diagnosis due to nonspecific early symptoms and unfamiliarity with this disease. We present a case of a young female who presented with recurrent abdominal pain suggestive of mesenteric angina and constitutional symptoms over one-year. Her radial pulses were absent, and she had multiple bruits on examination over the right subclavian and carotid arteries and the epigastrium, along with high inflammatory markers. Her CT angiography of large vessels confirmed the diagnosis of TA and she was treated with high-dose steroids with good clinical remission confirmed by a reduction in inflammatory markers and improvement in symptoms.