Anemia in Patients with Takayasu’s Arteritis and its Correlation with Disease Activity

Background Anemia is a common clinical condition in autoimmune disease, but there are few related studies in Takayasu’s arteritis (TAK). The purpose of this study is to detect clinical characteristics of anemia patients with TAK and to explore the relationship between the hemoglobin level and the disease activity in TAK. Methods This retrospective study included 160 cases of hospitalized patients with TAK and 110 cases of age-and sex-matched healthy people. According to the hemoglobin level, 160 TAK patients were divided into two groups with and without anemia, the immune indexes were compared between the two groups. 28 patients with anemia in TAK were followed up and the changes of immune indexes before and after treatment were compared.Results Hemoglobin in TAK patients is significantly lower than that of healthy control group. Among the 160 cases of TAK, 67 cases of anemia are mild to moderate anemia, and most of which are normocytic anemia. In anemia patients with TAK, women was more common (P=0.014), age at admission was more younger (P=0.002), the disease duration was shorter (P=0.017). The levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR, P=0.000), C-reactive protein (CRP, P=0.000), interleukin-6 (IL-6, P=0.036) and disease activity scores (NIH P=0.000, ITASA P=0.001, ITAS2010 P=0.030) were significantly higher in anemia patients with TAK. The risk of anemia in TAK patients with elevated CRP was 2.35 times than that of TAK patients without elevated CRP (OR = 2.350, 95% CI 1.055-5.234, P = 0.037). After followed up for 3-6 months, hemoglobin levels increased significantly (P=0.001), ESR (P=0.000), CRP (P=0.039) and disease activity scores (NIH P=0.001, ITASA P=0.000, ITAS2010 P=0.000) decreased significantly through effective treatment without iron supplementation, and the changes of hemoglobin after treatment were negatively correlated with the changes of ESR (P=0.046) and CRP (P=0.002).Conclusion Anemia patients with TAK were more common in young women, and the disease activity was higher. Anemia can be significantly improved without iron supplementation through effective treatment to reduce disease activity of TAK.