Takayasu Arteritis in a Female- A Rare Case Report from Rural India

Takayasu arteritis is a rare large vessel vasculitis of autoimmune origin usually affecting young women. Here we describe a young female who presented primarily for dyspnea, polymyalgia, tingling sensation of limbs and headache since 1 year. She was diagnosed with Takayasu arteritis. Her evaluation revealed pulseless radial, brachial arteries and hypertension Computed tomography based aortic angiography revealed critical stenosis and surrounding inflammation in the branches of aorta. This case highlights how the diagnosis may be delayed due to nonspecific symptoms and how symptoms of early and late stage may coexist in the patient. Early diagnosis requires high degree of suspicion, delay in diagnosis can lead to critical stenosis and obstruction of aorta and it's branches requiring surgical intervention.