29th January 2024

Clinical features

Patients initially present with systemic symptoms associated with an active inflammatory illness. Typical features include generalised malaise, fever, arthralgia, weight loss and night sweats. There can be tenderness overlying the affected arteries. 

As the disease develops, patients begin to develop symptoms associated with narrowing of the affected arteries. Specific vascular symptoms and signs include: syncope, angina pectoris, bilateral carotid bruits, headache, impaired vision, movement-induced muscular pain in one or more limbs and Raynaud phenomenon. Hypertension is common, but blood pressure readings can be falsely low, associated with decreased bilateral brachial and radial pulses. Skin manifestations include erythema nodosum and urticaria.

Major complications associated with the disease include aortic aneurysms, aortic root dilatation, critical limb ischemia and stroke.