Case Report

Takayasu disease with prominent pulmonary artery involvement: confusion with pulmonary disease leading to delayed diagnosis

Authors

Bilgehan Karadag¹, Hasan Kilic², Dursun Duman¹, Zeki Ongen¹, Vural Ali Vural¹ and Hasan Yazici²

1. Department of Cardiology, Cerrahpasa School of Medicine, Istanbul University, 34098 Istanbul, Turkey
2. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Cerrahpasa School of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey

Received:

12 March 2008

Accepted:

14 April 2008

Published online:

27 May 2008

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Abstract

Pulmonary artery involvement as the initial predominant clinical manifestation in Takayasu arteritis (TA) is rare. We describe a young adult female who presented with life-threatening complications of proximal pulmonary arterial involvement of Takayasu arteritis. In our case, atypical presentation of TA with pulmonary symptoms due to pulmonary artery involvement resulted in an erroneous initial diagnosis of sarcoidosis and then tuberculosis. The frequency of such a clinical form could be underestimated given the difficulties involved in its diagnosis and because its features are similar to those of pulmonary disease.

Key words

Takayasu arteritis - Pulmonary artery involvement