Takayasu arteritis in a young woman: a 4-year case history.

Takayasu arteritis is a chronic, progressive, autoimmune, idiopathic, large-vessel vasculitis that usually affects young adults. The disease has been reported to occur in all races and ethnicities. The diffuse nature of this vasculitis can affect multiple-organ systems to varying degrees. Herein, we report the case of a young woman whose exertional angina and claudication were the initial presentation of active Takayasu arteritis. During more than 4 years of ongoing treatment, therapy, and follow-up, she has displayed differing disease symptoms of varying intensity. We discuss the challenges of managing Takayasu arteritis in our patient and describe different treatments for this rare vasculitic disorder.