Takayasu's arteritis: Ischaemic retinal arterial occlusion as a possible initial presentation.

Ocular manifestations are observed in 25% of patients with Takayasu's arteritis. Its signs and symptoms can be very variable. The case is presented of a 41-year-old woman with progressive vision loss in her right eye secondary to ischaemic retinal arterial occlusion. After a systematic study, a protein purified derivative (PPD) skin test compatible with tuberculosis was found to be the only alteration. After ruling out other causes, and based on the initial suspicion of tuberculous retinal vasculitis, treatment was started with antimicrobial agents and systemic corticosteroids, without any therapeutic response. Eighteen months later, the patient developed acute kidney failure, secondary to right renal artery stenosis. The CT-angiography revealed a thickening of the aortic arch and its branches, and Takayasús arteritis was finally diagnosed. Therefore, emphasis is made on the importance of the ophthalmologist in the diagnosis of Takayasús arteritis, in which its ophthalmological manifestations can be an early sign of the disease.