Investigations for Takayasu arteritis

Investigations commonly performed for most systemic vasculitides (including Takayasu arteritis) are outlined in Investigations for systemic vasculitides. Investigations that may support the diagnosis of Takayasu arteritis include:

• inflammatory markers—erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration are usually raised in people with active disease
• organ-specific investigations—for example, kidney function tests and liver biochemistry
• specialised vascular imaging—for example, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scan may help to distinguish between the inflammatory and ischaemic phases of the disease.

People with Takayasu arteritis are antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)–negative.