Temporal arteritis history and symptoms

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

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History

This diagnosis should be considered in any patient over the age of 50 with the new onset of headache, particularly if the erythrocyte sedimentation rate is elevated.

Symptoms

Patients present with:

• Excessive sweating
• Fever
• General ill feeling
• Jaw pain that comes and goes or occurs when chewing
• Loss of appetite
• Muscle aches
• Pain and stiffness in the neck, upper arms, shoulder, and hips
• Throbbing headache on one side of the head or the back of the head
• Scalp sensitivity, tenderness when touching the scalp
• Vision difficulties
  • Blurred vision
  • Double vision
  • Reduced vision (blindness in one or both eyes)
• Weakness, excessive tiredness
• Weight loss (more than 5% of total body weight)

Other symptoms that may occur with this disease:

• Bleeding gums
• Face pain
• Hearing loss
• Joint stiffness
• Joint pain
• Mouth sores

The inflammation may affect blood supply to the eye and blurred vision or sudden blindness may occur. In 76% of cases involving the eye, the ophthalmic artery is involved causing anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. Loss of vision in both eyes may occur very abruptly and this disease is therefore a medical emergency.

About 40% of people will have other, nonspecific symptoms such as respiratory complaints (most frequently dry cough) or weakness or pain along many nerve areas. Rarely, paralysis of eye muscles may occur. A persistent fever may be the only symptom.