Open AccessDyspnea in Takayasu Arteritis—An Ordinary Cause with An Extraordinary Link
Author(s) -
Umang Arora,
Advait Vasavada,
Surabhi Vyas,
Ayush Goel
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advances in respiratory medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.288
H-Index - 18
eISSN - 2543-6031
pISSN - 2451-4934
DOI - 10.5603/arm.a2020.0175
Subject(s) - medicine , mediastinal lymphadenopathy , arteritis , concomitant , bronchus , presentation (obstetrics) , tuberculosis , thoracic aorta , takayasu arteritis , pulmonary tuberculosis , aorta , cardiology , dermatology , radiology , surgery , lung , pathology , vasculitis , disease , respiratory disease
Takayasu arteritis (TA) poses a diagnostic challenge as it may have a myriad of clinical presentations. Dyspnea, as an index presentation in TA, may be secondary to the involvement of the aorta, myocardium, and/or the pulmonary vessels, or can present as a manifestation of pulmonary infection with tuberculosis. Significant lymphadenopathy cannot be attributed to TA and serves to point towards a different diagnosis or concomitant infection. Tuberculosis has been associated with TA and has considerable pathogenic and therapeutic implications. We present a case of a young female with extensive intra-thoracic tubercular lymphadenopathy compressing the trachea and right main bronchus resulting in dyspnea. The patient was subsequently found to have active TA and improved after treatment with anti-tubercular therapy and steroids. We review the causes of dyspnea and mediastinal lymphadenopathy in a patient with TA.