Takayasu's arteritis associated with Crohn's disease: a case report

Takayasu's arteritis and inflammatory bowel disease are rarely found together, although the number of cases reported in the literature is increasing. Takayasu's arteritis has been studied in 31 patients from the Arab world but in none of them was it associated with Crohn's disease. We report the case of a Saudi woman previously diagnosed with Crohn's disease who subsequently developed Takayasu's arteritis, which may represent one of many extra-intestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease. The possible aetiological factors, diagnostic methods, differential diagnoses and common pathophysiological mechanisms of the two diseases are discussed. This is the first case report of these two diseases in an Arab patient.