How To Treat And Cope With Takayasu's Arteritis

Takayasu's arteritis, a type of vasculitis, is a disease that causes the blood vessels to become inflamed. In the case of Takayasu's arteritis, the larger arteries are affected. This refers to the aorta, the largest artery in the body, and the large arteries that branch off from it, such as the carotid artery, pulmonary artery, and coronary arteries. Takayasu's arteritis is an auto-immune disease, which means the patient’s immune system is attacking some part or system in their body. In this case, the target is the arterial walls. Because the inflammation causes the walls to constrict, individuals with Takayasu's arteritis often suffer a reduction in blood flow to different parts of their body. Some Takayasu's arteritis patients do not have symptoms, but if they do, one of the most prominent is a weak or absent pulse. There are several ways to treat patients who do have symptoms. Reveal some of them now.

Immunosuppressants

Immunosuppressants are drugs that suppress the patient’s immune system and reduce or stop its attack on the patient’s larger arteries. Doctors recommend immunosuppressants, including those that stop tumor necrosis factor, to spare patients the side effects of steroids, which are also used to treat Takayasu's arteritis. Immunosuppressants are also used to treat rheumatic diseases that affect the bones, joints, and ligaments, but mostly they’re used to prevent the body from rejecting a donor organ after a transplant. Many immunosuppressants inhibit T-cell lymphocytes, which are types of white blood cells. Some attack and kill invaders while others create immune responses in the body. The downside of immunosuppressants is they leave the patient open to other infectious illnesses and have their own side effects, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gum disease, diabetes, and kidney damage.

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Control Inflammation With Medication

Doctors try to control the inflammation of Takayasu's arteritis with glucocorticoids. These medications are often recommended for autoimmune diseases that can cause inflammation. The glucocorticoids given by doctors are synthetic versions of the ones the body normally makes and are more powerful. They block inflammation by entering the cells and blocking the proteins that set up inflammation in the patient’s arteries. They also reduce the activity of cells such as the T-cells discussed above. Though these medications are powerful, they do have side effects. They can put the patient at higher risk for diabetes and higher levels of cholesterol and triglyceride, and can also make it difficult for wounds to heal quickly and interfere with calcium absorption.

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Bypass Surgery

If the doctors can't control inflammation with medication, they may need to opt for surgery. Bypass surgery is for patients whose Takayasu's arteritis has become life-threatening because their carotid arteries have become too narrow because of the inflammation. The carotid arteries are found in the neck and bring blood to the brain. If these arteries are blocked, it can result in a stroke. The surgery is formally called aorto-carotid bypass. During the surgery, the doctor creates a bypass out of a graft taken from the patient’s saphenous vein, which is found in the leg, or a graft made out of polytetrafluoroethylene or Dacron. The graft connects the carotid artery to the aorta, which enters and arches over the heart.

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Aortic Valve Surgery

One complication of Takayasu's arteritis is called aortic valve regurgitation, which happens when the valve in the aorta doesn’t close as completely as it should, causing blood to leak or flow backward. Eventually, this can result in heart failure. During the surgery, the doctor takes away the damaged valve and replaces it with a new valve taken from a pig, cow, or cadaver. Sometimes, the doctor uses the patient’s pulmonary valve. An artificial valve can also be used in aortic valve surgery. A patient who has a biological valve will need to have it replaced in the future since it will inevitably break down. A patient who has an artificial valve will need to take anticoagulant medications for the rest of their life to guard against blood clots.

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Percutaneous Angioplasty

Percutaneous angioplasty is used to treat a blood vessel that is nearly closed up because of Takayasu's arteritis inflammation. When a patient has this treatment, the doctor inserts a catheter into an artery. They start either in the arm or the groin and thread the catheter to the place where the problem is. Then, the doctor slowly inflates the balloon found at the end of the catheter. The balloon is inflated with pigment, and inflating it opens up the artery and allows the technicians and doctor to better see what’s happening on an X-ray. When the blockage is cleared, and they can see blood flowing unhindered through the artery, the catheter is carefully removed.