# Central Retinal Artery Occlusion Associated with Takayasu Arteritis

## TL;DR

This paper discusses two cases where a rare eye condition called central retinal artery occlusion was linked to Takayasu arteritis, a rare inflammatory blood vessel disease.

## Contribution

The novelty lies in presenting two specific clinical cases linking CRAO with Takayasu arteritis, highlighting a rare ocular manifestation.

## Key findings

- Central retinal artery occlusion can be a rare but significant manifestation of Takayasu arteritis.
- Only 5% of CRAO cases are arteritic, often linked to inflammatory vasculitides like Takayasu arteritis.
- Ocular manifestations of Takayasu arteritis are rare and can delay diagnosis and treatment.

## Abstract

Takayasu arteritis is a chronic inflammatory vasculitis with granulomatous panarteritis particularly impacting large vessels including the aorta and its branches, especially the subclavian arteries, with clinical manifestation dependent on the involved artery. Sequelae of the active disease vary, including stenosis, occlusions, or aneurysmal dilatations of the large vessels. The prevalence of Takayasu arteritis is higher in the Asian population and in Japan, but quite low in the United States, varying from 0.9–8.4 per million people. Ocular manifestations are rare and lead to a delay in diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Ocular manifestations include Takayasu retinopathy, anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION), retinal artery occlusion (RAO) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). We present two cases in which central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) was associated with Takayasu arteritis. CRAO is an ophthalmic emergency with an incidence of 1.9 per 100,000 person years in the United States; only 5% of cases are arteritic, which can be observed with inflammatory vasculitides secondary to the formation of immune deposits.