Giant cell arteritis and Takayasu aortitis: morphologic, pathogenetic and etiologic factors

Overlapping features among aortitides are relatively common although the un derlining etiologies may differ. Thus, the clinical classification of aorti tides is rather difficult and often misleading. Furthermore, morphologic ch aracterizations of these vascular disorders are frequently overlapping and therefore additional clinical and radiologic information is usually require d. The greater challenge is aortitides is whether the initiation is due to an exogenous stimulus or due to an autoantigen. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science I reland Ltd. All rights reserved.