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Health Dictionary

Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.

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Large-sized vessel vasculitis with weight loss

Introduction

Abbreviations: ABG= Arterial blood gas, ANA= Antinuclear antibody, ANP= Atrial natriuretic peptide, ASO= Antistreptolysin O antibody, BNP= Brain natriuretic peptide, CBC= Complete blood count, COPD= Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, CRP= C-reactive protein, CT= Computed tomography, CXR= Chest X-ray, DVT= Deep vein thrombosis, ESR= Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, HRCT= High Resolution CT, IgE= Immunoglobulin E, LDH= Lactate dehydrogenase, PCWP= Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, PCR= Polymerase chain reaction, PFT= Pulmonary function test.

Diseases Clinical manifestations Para-clinical findings Gold standard Additional findings
Symptoms Physical examination
Lab Findings Imaging Histopathology
Headache Fever Weight loss Arthralgia Claudication Bruit HTN Focal neurological disorder Biomarker CBC ESR Other CT scan Angiography Ultrasound/ Echocardiography Other
Large-Vessel Vasculitis Takayasu arteritis[1] + +/- + – + + +/- +/- MMP-3 and MMP-9 Leukocytosis, Anemia ↑ ↑CRP Aneurysmal dilatation of the aorta Blood vessel stenosis Circumferential thickening of the arterial wall (Macaroni sign) PET-scan, Cardiac CT Granulomatous inflammation of arteries Arteriography Coronary aneurysm
Giant cell arteritis[2] + – + +/- – – – +/- Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) Normal ↑ ↑CRP Stenosis, Occlusion, Dilatation Aneurysm – Mural inflammation in MRA Granulomatous inflammation of arteries Biopsy  Jaw pain and claudication
Neurological disease Neurofibromatosis type 1[3] +/- – +/- – – – + + NF1 mutated gene Normal Normal Neurofibromin gene Bone abnormalities  Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) – Optic nerve gliomas in MRI Elongated spindle-shaped cells in neurofibromas NIH diagnostic criteria Cafe au Lait spot
Neurofibromatosis type 2[4] +/- – +/- – +/- – – + NF2 mutated gene Normal Normal Schwannomin Meningioma, Schwannoma, Ependymoma Fluorescein angiography showed retinal hamartoma Localized schwannomas in nerve ultrasound Schwannoma in MRI Encapsulated biphasic nerve sheath tumor NIH diagnostic criteria Hearing loss, Vision loss
Systemic disease Fibromuscular dysplasia[5] + – +/- + + + + +/- Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) Normal ↑ ↑ Cr or BUN Alternating stenosis and dilatations in CT angiography Stenosis in the renal arteries Luminal narrowing alternating with dilatation (Beads sign) Focal concentric, long-segment tubular stenosis or outpouching in MRA Fibrodysplastic changes, Collagen deposition Digital subtraction angiography (DSA)  Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD)
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)[6] + – +/- + – – – – Plasma fibrinogen Normocytic, normochromic anemia ↑ CRP Periodontoid localization of calcification Vessel wall thickening, Increased mural contrast enhancement Subacromial or subdeltoid bursitis High F-FDG accumulation around the joints in FDG PET-CT Small angular fibers, Pyknotic nuclear clumps, or target-targetoid fibers – Joint stiffness, Fatigue

References

  1. ↑ Vaideeswar P, Deshpande JR (2013). “Pathology of Takayasu arteritis: A brief review”. Ann Pediatr Cardiol. 6 (1): 52–8. doi:10.4103/0974-2069.107235. PMC 3634248. PMID 23626437.
  2. ↑ Calvo-Romero JM (2003). “Giant cell arteritis”. Postgrad Med J. 79 (935): 511–5. PMC 1742823. PMID 13679546.
  3. ↑ Cassiman C, Casteels I, Stalmans P, Legius E, Jacob J (2017). “Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography of Retinal Microvascular Changes Overlying Choroidal Nodules in Neurofibromatosis Type 1”. Case Rep Ophthalmol. 8 (1): 214–220. doi:10.1159/000469702. PMC 5422752. PMID 28512424.
  4. ↑ Evans, D G. R (2000). “Neurofibromatosis type 2”. Journal of Medical Genetics. 37 (12): 897–904. doi:10.1136/jmg.37.12.897. ISSN 1468-6244.
  5. ↑ Plouin PF, Perdu J, La Batide-Alanore A, Boutouyrie P, Gimenez-Roqueplo AP, Jeunemaitre X (2007). “Fibromuscular dysplasia”. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2: 28. doi:10.1186/1750-1172-2-28. PMC 1899482. PMID 17555581.
  6. ↑ Michet CJ, Matteson EL (2008). “Polymyalgia rheumatica”. BMJ. 336 (7647): 765–9. doi:10.1136/bmj.39514.653588.80. PMC 2287267. PMID 18390527.

Editor-In-Chief:
C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Eiman Ghaffarpasand, M.D. [2]