Pulmonary involvement in Behcet's disease and Takayasu's arteritis

Abstract

Behcet's disease (BD) is an inflammatory disorder characterised by a triad of recurrent oral and genital ulcers with relapsing uveitis. There is a predilection of young male patients for pulmonary involvement in BD. Pulmonary artery aneurysm (PAA) and pulmonary artery thrombosis without aneurysm are the most frequent types of pulmonary involvement in BD.Thrombi within PAA is common. Death usually occurs due to massive haemoptysis in patients with PAA. Immunosuppresion is the main therapy for pulmonary vasculitis in BD. Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a chronic inflammatory disease of medium-and large-sized arteries that commonly affects the aorta, its main branches and to a lesser extent the pulmonary arteries. TA is most common in young females in their second and third decades of life, and affects them approximately 10 times more often than males. Granulomatous inflammation most commonly involves the aorta and its major branches, and symptoms result from the stenosis, occlusion and aneurysm of involved arteries. Pulmonary artery involvement is nearly always associated with the involvement of the aorta or its branches. Immunosuppresion, with or without surgery, constitute the main treatment options in TA.