COMPARATIVE-STUDIES OF PATIENTS WITH TAKAYASU-ARTERITIS IN JAPAN, KOREA AND INDIA - COMPARISON OF CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS, ANGIOGRAPHY AND HLA-B ANTIGEN

Comparative study of Takayasu arteritis in 3 Asian countries (India, K orea and Japan) has revealed some significant differences. In angiogra phic findings, Japanese patients more frequently have lesions at the a ortic arch and/or its branches (99% of 96 cases), while most lesions i n Korean (76% of 109 cases) and Indian patients (92% of 50 cases) are at the abdominal aorea. The presence of HLA-Bw52 or B5 is closely asso ciated with Takayasu arteritis in all 3 Asian countries. The complicat ions in 108 Japanese, 101 Korean and 50 Indian patients were also comp ared. The most frequent complications were aortic regurgitation in Jap an and hypertension in the other 2 countries. Death occurred most freq uently due to congestive heart failure or sudden death resulting from aortic regurgitation in Japan, but resulting from hypertension in Kore a and India.