[Takayasu's disease: interest in methotrexate treatment].
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.
Besson-Léaud
L
L
Département de pédiatrie médicale, hôpital Pellegrin, place Amélie-Raba-Léon, 33076 Bordeaux, France. laurentbessonleaud@hotmail.com
Grenier
N
N
Besson-Léaud
M
M
Boniface
C
C
Guillard
J M
JM
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
D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D008727:Methotrexate