Tuberculosis Increases Risk of severe Aortic complications among patients with Takayasu Arteritis: Study
A recent study published in the journal of Advances in Rheumatology revealed a significant link between tuberculosis (TB) and more severe aortic complications in patients with Takayasu arteritis (TA), a rare inflammatory disease affecting large blood vessels. This research analyzed clinical and radiological data of patients treated at a public tertiary referral outpatient clinic in northeast Brazil over 5 years which uncovered notable differences in outcomes between patients with TA who had active or latent TB infections and those without TB.
The retrospective analysis included 50 patients diagnosed with TA between January 2017 and June 2022. Among them, 20 individuals (40%) were identified as having a history of TB, with 6 experiencing active TB and 14 showing evidence of latent TB infection (LTBI). This study compared the clinical presentations and radiological profiles of TA patients based on their TB status.
The key findings indicated that weight loss was significantly more prevalent among TA patients with TB (p=0.005). Furthermore, those with both conditions showed a higher occurrence of abdominal aortic involvement when compared to TA patients without TB (25% vs. 11.4%, p=0.013). The study also reported a markedly increased incidence of vascular dilations (p=0.009) and aneurysms (p=0.027) in the TB-affected group.
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