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Having proposed a new classification on angiographic findings of patients with Takayasu arteritis, we evaluated the angiographic findings of 80 Japanese patients and 102 Indian patients according to this classification. Japanese patients showed a higher frequency of involvement of the ascending aorta, aortic arch and its branches than did the Indians (P < 0.01). On the other hand, the frequency of involvement of the abdominal aorta and/or renal arteries was higher in Indian patients (P < 0.01). Type III cases of the new classification which involves the thoracic descending aorta, abdominal aorta and/or renal arteries were observed in 3% of the Indian patients, but not at all in the Japanese. In conclusion, in Japanese patients, vascular lesions tend to occur primarily in the ascending aorta, aortic arch and/or its branches and extend into the abdominal aorta. On the other hand, in Indian patients, the tendency is primarily in the abdominal aorta including renal arteries and extending into the thoracic aorta.

Visceral leishmaniasis is a chronic infectious disease caused by a protozoan parasite of the genus Leishmania, characterized by intermittent fever, monocytosis, hepatosplenomegaly and hypergammaglobulinemia. This morbid condition is rather difficult to diagnose correctly, especially at its early stage, because it is rarely encountered in Japan. Recently we treated a case of visceral leishmaniasis in which the patient was misdiagnosed as malignant lymphoma, and went through splenectomy and steroid administration, which made the diagnosis more difficult.