[Takayasu disease--pulseless disease].

In 1908, Takayasu, an ophthalmologist, reported "a case of strange changes in the central retinal vessels" without mentioning the other physical changes. In 1948, Shimizu and Sano examined 6 cases (5 women and one man) of the disease and found that the disease was actually a chronic type of arteritis that affects mainly the aortic arch and its branches and often the pulmonary arteries. They named the disease "Pulseless Disease." They called the following three signs as the Triad of the disease: (1) absence of radial pulsation, (2) signs and symptoms referable to the hyperactive carotid sinus reflex, (3) hypotensive opthalmoangiopathia as reported by Takayasu. Sano and Saito found that the sera of the patients contained immune interferon, and that the sera also contained such gamma globulin that reacted specifically with the affected arterial wall components such as vasa vasorum and the surrounding tissues and the media etc-an autoimmune disease.