INTRODUCTION
Takayasu arteritis (TA), first reported by Japanese ophthalmologist
Mikito Takayasu, is a chronic
inflammatory disease of medium and large arteries of unknown etiology. A
higher prevalence of this disease is seen in Asian countries such as
Japan and India and South America, the regional predilection also
reflects in the presentation of the disease [1]. It has female
preponderance and manifests mostly in the second to third decade.
Patients initially present with constitutional symptoms but later
progress to develop symptoms related to vascular damage.
A majority of the population affected by the disease are women of
childbearing age, and the interplay between vasculitis such as TA, and
pregnancy becomes an area of attention. Studies have reported poor
obstetric outcomes in patients with TA, with the most common
complication being hypertension [2]. On the other hand, due to TA’s
tardy diagnosis women conceive without being aware of their condition
[3]. Here, we describe a case of a 29-year-old pregnant woman who
presented for safe confinement at the 40th week of gestation with an
uneventful antepartum period, when TA was incidentally diagnosed.