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Arteritis is the inflammation of the walls of arteries, usually as a result of infection or auto-immune response. Arteritis is a complex disorder that is still not completely understood in entirety. Arteritis may be distinguished by its different types, based on the organ systems that are affected by the disease.

Types
Some disorders have arteritis as their main feature. The major types are given in the table below:

Furthermore, there are many conditions that have vasculitis as an accompanying or atypical symptom, including arteritis caused by the fungal pathogen Candida albicans.

Giant Cell Arteritis

Giant cell arteritis contain two different types of artertides that are almost scientifically indistinguishable from one another. Giant cell arteritis includes two types, these are Temporal arteritis and Takayasu’s arteritis. Both of these types contain an occupancy of medium and larger size arteries which are categorized based on the infiltration of the giant cells.

Takayasu Arteritis

This type of arteritis is found to be most common in females with a median age of 25 years. Takayasu arteritis is also most common in women of Asian descent that are in their reproductive years. However, over the past decades, Takayasu arteritis patients are increasing in Africa, Europe, and North America. Takayasu’s arteritis is an inflammatory disease that mainly affects the larger vessels such as the aorta and its surrounding branches. Research of Takayasu arteritis in the Western parts of the world still remain limited. An estimation suggests that each year, the rate of cases in a million people is 2.6.

Temporal Arteritis

Temporal Arteritis, the second type of giant cell arteritis, is also a chronic, inflammatory disease that involves the middle to larger sized arteries. Most commonly, Temporal Arteritis incidents were found in Scandinavian descents, this includes Scandinavian Americans as well. However, the incidence rate differs based on population, region and races. Temporal Arteritis is not uncommon in North America either. The incidence rate is around 0.017% for individuals over 50 years of age.

Most Common symptoms of Temporal arteritis are based on specific and nonspecific indications.

Non specific symptoms : Specific symptoms : Specific symptoms are usually are developed in the advanced stages of Temporal artieritis.
 * Headache
 * Low grade fever
 * Sweating
 * Anorexia
 * Weight loss
 * General malaise
 * Claudication of the jaw
 * Engorged tender vessels

Symptoms
Symptoms of general arteritis may include :
 * inflammation
 * fever
 * increased production of red blood cells (erythrocyte)
 * limping
 * reduced pulse

Diagnosis
Diagnosis of Arteritis is based on unusual medical symptoms. At this time, conditions should be distinguished between similar symptoms such as, Ehlers-Danlos and Marfan syndrome, tuberculosis, syphilis, spondyloarthopathies, Cogans’s syndrome, Buerger’s, Behcet’s, and Kawasaki disease. There are several diagnoses approaches that can be used. For example, imaging techniques such as angiography, computer tomography angiography (CTA), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), and ultrasonography, are being used not only for the diagnosis of arteritis, but additionally to help monitor the disease.

Angiography

Angiography is commonly used for the diagnosis of Takayasu’s arteritis. Especially in the advanced stages when artery stenosis, occlusion, aneurysm formation occurs, and so forth. However, angiography is an aggressive examination, where patients receive large doses of radition. Therefore, it is not recommended for long term patients of Takayasu arteritis.

CTA

CTA can determine the lumen of aorta and the surrounding branches, and identify vessel wall lesions in middle to advanced stages of arteritis. CTA diagnosis can also display the intravascular blood flow. Similar to angiography, CTA also requires patients to take high dosages of radiation.

MRA

MRA is used to diagnose early stages of Takayasu’s arteritis, such as the thickening of the vessel wall. MRA also includes clear pictures of how thick the vessel wall is becoming. Disadvantages of MRA are that it is a very expensive procedure, and may produce poor images for distal branches and aortic calcification.

Ultrasonography

Ultrasonography is an ideal method of diagnosing patients in early stages of arteritis when there is inflammation in the vessel walls. This method also shows the blood flow that occurs in the vessel. Ultrasonography has become an ideal method for diagnosis because it is non- invasive. It is also commonly used for long term monitoring in Takayasu’s arteritis. Disadvantages of this method are its difficulties to identify some vascular lesions, and also, the operative’s skill affects the reliability of the results.

Medications
Those suffering from arteritis are first treated with an oral drug, known as gluccorticoids, daily for a period of three months. Prednisone may also be used for treatment, instead of gluccorticoids. After 3 months, treatment will become bi-daily, if possible. If disease worsens with new treatment schedule, a cytotoxic agent will be given, in addition to gluccorticoids. The cytotoxic agent may be azathioprine, methotrexate, or cyclophosphamide. If the patient begins to recover, the dosage of gluccorticoids is decreased. When disease becomes inactive in the patient, the dosage of drugs will be further reduced, until it is stopped. Conversely, if disease is still active, the dosage of drugs will be increased. If the drugs cannot be reduced to bi-daily consumption, in six months of the treatment or the drugs are not cut off completely within twelve months, then treatment deemed to be a failure.

Therapy
Therapy is another method of treatment for those with arteritis. Pulse therapy is done with steroids such as corticosteroids, and this method has proven to be successful for some who suffered arteritis. Immunosuppresive therapy has also proven to cure people of this disease.