Definition
The aortite is an inflammation of the aorta. This inflammation can affect the entire thickness of the aortic wall (intimate, medium and adventitia).
Possible consequences of the aortitis are the occlusion of the aorta or its branches. Furthermore, in some cases, weakening of the arterial wall can cause an aneurysm.
The aortitis can be caused by infectious diseases or by the propagation of an inflammatory process.
Among the infectious forms of aortitis, the bacterial and fungal forms usually involve the segments of aorta already home to pathologies (eg aneurysms) or vascular prostheses. The aortitis can occur in cases of infective endocarditis or tertiary syphilis (final stage of syphilitic disease, rarely reached today). In very rare cases, it is a complication of tuberculosis.
Non-infectious aortites, on the other hand, can derive from connective tissue disorders, including Takayasu's arteritis, temporal arteritis and ankylosing spondylitis.
Furthermore, inflammation of the aorta can be a consequence of systemic autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Reiter's syndrome and Behçet's disease.
Possible Causes * of Aortitis
- Aortic aneurysm
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Infective endocarditis
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Syphilis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Tuberculosis
