Giant Cell Arteritis

Giant cell arteritis is a condition where the lining of your arteries becomes inflamed. This inflammation most commonly affects arteries in your head, particularly those around your temples. This is why it's sometimes called temporal arteritis.

This inflammation often causes symptoms like headaches, pain or tenderness on your scalp, jaw pain, and vision problems. If left untreated, it can seriously harm your eyesight, even leading to blindness.

Taking corticosteroid medications promptly usually helps relieve the symptoms of giant cell arteritis and may prevent vision loss. You should start feeling better within a few days of starting treatment. However, even with treatment, the condition can sometimes come back (recur).

Regular check-ups with your doctor are important. This allows your doctor to monitor your condition and treat any side effects that might develop from taking the corticosteroid medications.

Giant cell arteritis is a condition that causes inflammation in the arteries, often leading to headaches and other symptoms. A key symptom is a persistent, intense headache, usually on both sides of the head, especially in the temple area. This pain might get worse over time, come and go, or sometimes ease up for a while.

Other common signs include:

• Tenderness on the scalp: You might feel pain or discomfort when touching your scalp.
• Jaw pain: Chewing or opening your mouth wide can be painful.
• Fever: A general feeling of illness, with a temperature elevation.
• Fatigue: Feeling unusually tired and lacking energy.
• Weight loss: Losing weight without trying to.
• Vision problems: Blurred vision, double vision, or even sudden, complete loss of vision in one eye, particularly if you're also experiencing jaw pain.

A related condition, polymyalgia rheumatica, affects the muscles and joints, causing pain and stiffness in the neck, shoulders, and hips. About half of those with giant cell arteritis also have polymyalgia rheumatica.

If you experience a new, persistent headache or any of the symptoms listed above, see a doctor right away. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for giant cell arteritis. Prompt medical attention can often prevent vision loss.

If you get a new, ongoing headache, or any of the other symptoms mentioned, go see your doctor right away. A condition called giant cell arteritis can cause vision problems. Starting treatment quickly can often help prevent vision loss.

Giant cell arteritis is a condition where the inner lining of arteries becomes inflamed. This inflammation causes the arteries to swell up. Think of it like a garden hose getting a kink in it – the swelling narrows the passageway for blood. This reduced blood flow means less oxygen and essential nutrients reach the parts of your body that need them.

Almost any artery, big or medium-sized, can be affected. However, the swelling often happens in the arteries that run along your temples, right in front of your ears and up into your scalp.

Scientists don't fully understand what causes this inflammation. One idea is that the body's immune system, which normally protects you from infection, mistakenly attacks the artery walls. There might be a role for certain genes you inherit and possible environmental factors that could make you more likely to get this condition.

Giant cell arteritis is a condition that can affect blood vessels, usually in adults. Several things can make you more likely to get it.

• Age: This condition mostly affects people over 50, and it's rare in those younger than 50. Most people develop symptoms between the ages of 70 and 80.

• Gender: Women are diagnosed with giant cell arteritis about twice as often as men.

• Background: The condition is more common in white people of Northern European or Scandinavian descent. This doesn't mean it can't happen to others, just that it's seen more often in these groups. Where you live can also play a role.

• Related Conditions: If you have polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), a condition causing muscle pain and stiffness, you have a higher chance of also developing giant cell arteritis. These two conditions are closely linked, and often one follows the other.

• Family History: Sometimes, a family history of giant cell arteritis can increase your risk. If someone in your family has had this condition, you might be more susceptible. This doesn't mean you will definitely get it, but it's a factor to be aware of.

Giant cell arteritis can lead to serious problems:

• Vision loss: Reduced blood flow to your eyes can cause sudden, painless vision loss in one eye, or sometimes both. This loss of sight is often permanent. It's important to know that this can happen even after the initial diagnosis.

• Aortic aneurysm: This is a bulge in a weakened blood vessel, usually the main artery in your chest and belly (aorta). If this bulge bursts, it can cause life-threatening bleeding inside your body. A critical point is that this problem can develop years after you're diagnosed with giant cell arteritis.

• Stroke: While less common, a stroke can be a complication of giant cell arteritis.

To watch for aortic aneurysm problems, your doctor might do regular checks. This might include annual X-rays of your chest, or other tests like ultrasounds or CT scans. These tests help your doctor monitor the health of your aorta.

Diagnosing giant cell arteritis can be tricky because its early symptoms are similar to other common illnesses. Doctors need to rule out other possibilities.

To figure out what's going on, your doctor will first ask about your symptoms and medical history. Then, they'll do a thorough physical exam, focusing on your temples. Often, the arteries in your temples (temporal arteries) are tender, feel hard and cord-like, and have a weaker pulse than usual.

Your doctor might also recommend some tests to help diagnose the problem and track how you're responding to treatment.

These tests can help diagnose giant cell arteritis and monitor your treatment:

• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (sed rate): This test measures how quickly your red blood cells settle in a blood sample. If they settle quickly, it could mean there's inflammation in your body.
• C-reactive protein (CRP): Your liver produces this substance when there's inflammation. Measuring it can indicate if inflammation is present.

Other tests that might be used include:

• Doppler ultrasound: This uses sound waves to create images of blood flowing in your blood vessels, helping to see if there are any blockages or problems.
• Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA): This test combines an MRI with a special dye to create detailed pictures of your blood vessels. Let your doctor know if you have any concerns about being in a confined space, as this test is done inside a tube.
• Positron emission tomography (PET): If your doctor thinks the inflammation might be in larger arteries, like the aorta, they might recommend a PET scan. This test uses a radioactive tracer injected into your bloodstream to highlight areas of inflammation in your body, especially in larger blood vessels.

The gold standard for confirming a giant cell arteritis diagnosis is a small sample (biopsy) of your temporal artery. These arteries are located near your temples, close to your scalp. This procedure is usually done as an outpatient procedure with local anesthesia, so it's generally not very painful and leaves little scarring. A lab will examine the sample under a microscope.

If you have giant cell arteritis, the biopsy will often show inflammation, including the characteristic "giant cells" that give the condition its name. Importantly, it's possible to have the condition even if the biopsy doesn't show these cells.

If the first biopsy isn't definitive, your doctor might suggest a second biopsy on the other side of your head.

Giant cell arteritis is mainly treated with powerful anti-inflammatory medicine, like prednisone, in high doses. Doctors often start this treatment before a biopsy confirms the diagnosis because quick action is crucial to prevent vision loss. You should start feeling better within a few days of starting treatment. If you lose vision before starting treatment, it's unlikely your sight will return fully. However, your other eye might help you adjust to the changes. You might need to take this medicine for a year or longer.

After about a month, your doctor will likely gradually reduce the dose to the lowest amount needed to control the inflammation. During this reduction, some symptoms, especially headaches, might come back. Sometimes, people also get symptoms of a related condition called polymyalgia rheumatica during this period. If this happens, a small increase in the prednisone dose can usually fix it. Your doctor might also suggest a different medicine called methotrexate (Trexall) to help.

Prednisone can have serious side effects, like weakening bones (osteoporosis), high blood pressure, and muscle weakness. To prevent these problems, your doctor will likely monitor your bone health and might recommend calcium and vitamin D supplements, or other medications.

A new medicine called tocilizumab (Actemra) is now available for giant cell arteritis. It's injected under your skin. A possible side effect is an increased risk of infections. More study is needed to fully understand its long-term effects.

If you have concerns about giant cell arteritis, schedule an appointment with your doctor.

Understanding giant cell arteritis (GCA) and its treatment can empower you. Talking to your doctor and healthcare team is crucial. They can answer all your questions about the condition and the best course of action. Online support groups can also be valuable resources, connecting you with others facing similar experiences. It's important to be aware of potential side effects from any medications you're prescribed. Regularly reporting any changes in your health to your doctor is key for effective management of GCA. This proactive approach can help you feel more in charge of your health journey.