title: Aortitis syndrome in children: clinical observation of 35 cases in Japan.
abstract: The results of clinical observation of 35 patients with aortitis syndrome (AS) in childhood, obtained by a nationwide survey in Japan, are reported. The male to female ratio was 1:2.5, the estimated age of onset averaged 10.2 years, and the duration from the estimated age of onset to the diagnosis averaged 15 months. In HLA examination A24, Bw52, Cw7 and DR2 were relatively common. Arterial lesions tended to extensively involve the aortic arch and its branches. Fever was the most frequently noted clinical symptom, followed by abdomen, joint and muscle pain. The physical findings in order of frequency were impaired circulation of the upper extremities, cardiac and vascular murmurs, hypertension, impaired cerebral circulation, visual disorder and impaired circulation of the pulmonary artery. The murmurs were found not only over the chest wall but also over the cervical area and abdomen. Pulselessness of the upper extremities occurred in 66% of patients. Percutaneous retrograde aortography and/or intravenous digital subtraction angiography to make the final diagnosis was employed except for three cases. There were not any specific abnormal signs in laboratory data. Steroid hormones were administered in 34 cases, and immunosuppressive agents in 8 cases. Five cases had percutaneous transluminal angioplasty to the right renal artery as an interventional treatment. The high frequency of abdominal pain is considered to be one of the characteristics of AS in childhood. The high frequency of pulselessness of the upper extremities and cardiac and vascular murmurs in this report is considered significant for the diagnosis of AS in childhood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kyourin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fuse
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuyama
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujikawa
mesh_terms: D001025:Aortitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires