title: [Takayasu's disease: interest in methotrexate treatment].
abstract: Takayasu's disease is a nonspecific aortic arteritis that affects mostly young women and sometimes children. Usual treatment consists of early and prolonged steroids. Some patients do not respond to this treatment, become steroid-dependent or suffer from side effects. We report a case in which methotrexate proved to be effective.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 6-year-old girl presented with Takayasu's disease with elevated blood pressure of renovascular origin. Corticosteroids controlled the inflammatory syndrome but not the renal involvement and stopped the growth. Methotrexate (10 mg/m2/week) resulted in the control of the disease, the reduction of steroids and normal growth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Takayasu's disease, steroids should be given as first-line therapy. In case of failure, side effects or steroid dependency, small doses of methotrexate may facilitate the disease's control and weaning from the steroids.
authors.affiliation: Département de pédiatrie médicale, hôpital Pellegrin, place Amélie-Raba-Léon, 33076 Bordeaux, France. laurentbessonleaud@hotmail.com
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Besson-Léaud
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Grenier
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Besson-Léaud
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boniface
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Guillard
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D006977:Hypertension, Renal / Q000209:etiology; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013625:Takayasu Arteritis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D008727:Methotrexate