Objectives: Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a giant cell arteritis usually affecting young women and characterized by inflammatory and ischemic signs of large vessel involvement, including extracranial cerebral arteries. The impact of stroke on TA prognosis has not been well evaluated.
Methods: We performed a retrospective multicenter review of patients with definite TA who experienced at least one stroke and compared the findings to 17 matched patients with TA diagnosis without neurological involvement.
Results: Seventeen patients (15 women, median age at stroke diagnosis 44 years) receiving a diagnosis of TA and stroke between 2002 and 2016 in our institution were included, from a cohort of 126 patients suffering from TA (13.5%). At diagnosis, patients from both groups had comparable cardiovascular risk factors. The first cerebrovascular event was ischemic stroke (n = 15) or transient ischemic attack (n = 2). In eight patients, stroke occurred after the TA diagnosis was made. In four patients, stroke occurred after carotid surgery. At the end of follow-up, 59% of patients had a neurological impairment, 35% had a recurrence of stroke, and 24% suffered from epilepsy.
Conclusions: Stroke is a major cause of disability in TA patients. Internal carotid surgery may be performed with caution because of the risk of stroke after the procedure.
Keywords: Carotid artery; Stroke; Surgery; Takayasu arteritis.