Association of ankylosing spondylitis and Takayasu's arteritis: a case report

Ankylosing spondylarthritis and Takayasu’s arteritis are two inflammatory diseases with a not yet elucidated pathogenic mechanism. Only a few cases with this association (15 cases) have been published in the literature. We report here a new case of a 20-year-old, HLA-B27 positive male patient, who was the known case of ankylosing spondylitis. He was treated with Diclofenac and Sulfasalazin and the result was acceptable. One year after the first visit he presented with palpitation, dyspnea, nightly cough, absence of pulsation in the right radial artery, anemia and an increase in erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). By performing colour doppler ultrasonography and neck and abdomen magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), Takayasu disease (TA), which led to stenosis of the common carotid, subclavian artery, celiac and renal arteries, was diagnosed. This occured two years after the initiation of ankylosing spondylitis. Treatment was begun with 40 mg prednisolone per day, Methotrexate 7.5 mg per week, Amilodipin 7.5 mg per day, Atrovastatin 20 mg per day and Aspirin, which were successfully tolerated. Now, two years after the diagnosis, he is in remission and all of the drugs have been stopped.