Patients with aortitis often present with nonspecific constitutional symptoms. Due to the fact that aortitis is associated with inflammatory or infectious courses, patients may manifest fever or fever of unknown origin. Such clinical characteristics of aortitis are unavoidably brought about diagnostic dilemmas and might lead to a series of unnecessary work-ups and maltreatment. Therefore, it is important for the clinical physicians and surgeons to understand aortitis presenting with fever of unknown origin to avoid delayed diagnosis and treatment. In this article, clinical and pathological features of aortitis (giant cell arteritis, Takayasu arteritis and infective aortitis, etc.) with fever of unknown origin are described and the differential diagnosis and management policy are discussed.
Keywords: Takayasu arteritis; aortitis; cardiovascular syphilis; fever of unknown origin; giant cell arteritis.