Systemic vasculitis
TA similar to GCA in many ways, but it affects the large vessels of the heart and limbs. Patient may present with chest pain or claudication in an arm or a leg. The pulses in the limbs may become weak or impossible to palpate. It usually occurs in patients aged 40 or younger.
There is a famously fine line between GCA and TA, and some specialists consider them to be the same disease. The diagnostic line is drawn by an anatomic boundary (GCA affects arteries above the shoulder), but studies show that arteries beyond this boundary are often affected. For example, in a study of 18 patients, including 5 patients with diagnosed GCA and 3 patients with diagnosed GCA & TA, 14 patients showed evidence of arterial involvement at the aorta.
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