[A "pulseless" woman with proteinuria!].

Takayasu arteritis, also called pulseless women disease, is a chronic vasculitis of unknown aetiology, which primarily involves the aorta, its branches and coronary and pulmonary arteries. It is an uncommon disease with a variety of presentations and most frequently found in Asia than in Europe. We report a case of a 52-year-old woman, suffering from Takayasu arteritis for 19 years. She was admitted to the hospital for diffuse pain and oedema. Biological tests pointed out proteinuria with renal failure, which was confirmed by a renal biopsy. The association of Takayasu arteritis and renal failure is unusual. This review focuses on the biological manifestations of Takayasu arteritis and on the link between this disease and the renal failure observed in this case.