Update on the Management of Takayasu Arteritis

Rheumatologists primarily manage Takayasu arteritis with glucocorticoids, but evidence suggests conventional immunosuppressive drugs and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors may also be beneficial. Unfortunately, only two randomized controlled trials have specifically addressed the treatment of Takayasu arteritis and did not constitute high-quality evidence. One of these trials did find that patients did better on tocilizumab than placebo, but tocilizumab failed the primary endpoint for time to relapse.

Lara C. Pullen, PhD, is a medical writer based in the Chicago area.

References

1. Hellmich B, Agueda A, Monti S, et al. 2018 update of the EULAR recommendations for the management of large vessel vasculitis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020 Jan;79(1):19–30.
2. Águeda AF, Monti S, Luqmani RA, et al. Management of Takayasu arteritis: A systematic literature review informing the 2018 update of the EULAR recommendation for the management of large vessel vasculitis. RMD Open. 2019 Sep 23;5(2):e001020. eCollection 2019.