The Heart and Vasculitis_ Q&A

0:00
0:36 Introducing Dr. Ken Warrington

2:02 Take a quiz about the heart and vasculitis.

10:40 I have MPA. Does that mean I don’t have to worry about vasculitis affecting my heart?

12:04 If a patient is diagnosed with TAK or GCA should he/she immediately be tested or checked for any heart involvement with the vasculitis? Or, is that something just monitored by watching for potential symptoms they develop?

14:20 When is a PET scan helpful in the evaluation of someone with suspected or diagnosed vasculitis? Are there different PET scans? How often is a PET scan needed?
16:59 Is it common to experience heart symptoms in the beginning with GCA or TAK. Could those symptoms lead to a diagnosis of vasculitis?

18:29 When PET imaging is done on the heart it is difficult to distinguish whether an artery is being affected by cholesterol (plaque) or from the vasculitis. How is this determination made from looking at imaging results?

20:36 I was diagnosed with TAK last year. There was some mild inflammation of the aorta. I used to be physically active but I’m worried/confused if this inflammation means I have to cut back on exercise or exertion. When heart inflammation is involved what are patients advised to do, or not do with lifestyle (exercise and eating.)

22:49 What is cardiac fibrosis and how is it connected to vasculitis?

Q&A: The Heart and Vasculitis
Recorded February 2024