(1) Records of 52 patients with aortitis syndrome were reviewed. The male to female ratio was 1: 4.2, and the age of the onset averaged 23.6-year-old.
(2) There was a tendency that the lesions of the thoracic and abdominal aorta types involved younger patients than the aortic arch type. The observation of clinical course suggested the distribution of arterial lesions was fixed in the initial period of the disease.
(3) It was speculated that preceding infections, especially nasopharyngeal and pulmonary infections, may facilitate an autoimmune process which has been considered to be related to the development of aortitis syndrome.
(4) The principal arterial changes were stenosis and occlusion, but dilatation or aneurysm formation was found in some cases. The distribution of these lesions was analysed.
(5) The symptoms were classified into the principal symptoms and the accompanying symptoms, and their time relationship was reviewed.
(6) Emphasis was made on the importance of careful palpation of bilateral radial pulses, blood pressure measurement in the both arms and legs and careful auscultation of cardiac and vascular murmurs in the diagnosis of aortitis syndrome. Frequent occurrence of renovascular hypertension and aortic insufficiency associated with aortitis syndrome was pointed out. Ischemic retinal changes were less frequently found than hypertensive changes.
(7) Laboratory data were compared between the cases of active inflammatory stage and those of inactive stage.
(8) Early effects of steriod hormones were evaluated.