Work

Occurrence of giant cell arteritis...suddenly.

Year: 2007

Type: article

Abstract: PURPOSE: To define the kinetics and mechanisms of frank arteritis onset in patients with giant cell arteritis. METHODS: Cytokines were analyzed from tissue of a patient before and after the development of arteritis. RESULTS: A temporal artery biopsy specimen from a patient with giant cell arteritis showed no pathologic changes on microscopic examination, but there was evidence of early tissue activation of inflammatory markers. A specimen from the contralateral artery 12 days later had high levels of IL-18 transcripts and abundant transcripts for CCL19. Also, CD83 and IL-1 were present, confirming that the vascular dendritic cells had fully matured. This second biopsy specimen showed floridly positive giant cell arteritis on histopathologic examination. CONCLUSIONS: Partial activation of vascular dendritic cells is typically seen in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica in whom no inflammatory infiltrates are seen on histomorphologic examination. Dendritic cells become activated at an early stage of arteritis, beginning the pathologically evident arteritis, and are fully matured in microscopically florid arteritis.

Source: PubMed

Authors: Brian R Younge, Cornelia M Weyand, Jorg J Goronzy

Institutions: Mayo Clinic, Emory University

Language: English

Topic: Vasculitis and related conditions

Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institutes of Health

Award: Ocular Disease in Giant Cell Arteritis