TEMPORAL ARTERITIS

What is Temporal Arteritis?

Temporal arteritis is an inflammation of the blood vessels near the temples. Also known as Horton’s Arteritis or giant cell arteritis (GCA), it is the most common form of Vasculitis that affects adults.

Temporal Arteritis can be managed very well but can result in damage to eyesight if it goes undiagnosed and untreated.

Who Does Temporal Arteritis Affect?

The exact causes of temporal arteritis are still not fully understood, but aging seems to play a pertinent role in its onset.

Temporal Arteritis can occur in men or women, usually over the age of 50.

Temporal Arteritis is a rare condition, affecting 5 out of every 100,000 people. The disease affects twice as many women as men and is most commonly found in Scandinavian people.

Patients who have been diagnosed with Polymyalgia Rheumatica are also at a higher risk of developing Temporal Arteritis.

How Does Temporal Arteritis Occur?

Temporal arteritis occurs when the immune system attacks the body, which results in inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis) and their corresponding symptoms.

Symptoms of Temporal Arteritis

The most common symptoms include:

Continuous throbbing headache and tenderness affecting one or both temples. This is often the only symptom in the beginning,
Jaw pain, that worsens after chewing food,
Fatigue and fever,
Issues with vision such as complaints of blurry vision, double vision and even episodes of brief vision loss,
Sudden painless permanent vision loss affecting one eye, and
Weight loss, loss of appetite.

Stages of Temporal Arteritis

There are no stages, but the severity of the headache and symptoms is gradient and depends on how progressed the disorder is and can progress to complete vision loss.

How is Temporal Arteritis Diagnosed?

The diagnosis for temporal arteritis is made by

taking a complete history
a physical examination, and
tests including a vision test.

The doctor might also run some pathology tests including

Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) tests.
Doppler ultrasound and
Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA)

Our Ophthalmologists can confirm a diagnosis by conducting a biopsy of the temporal artery and analyzing it under a microscope for signs of inflammation.