Giant cell arteritis, also known as temporary arteritis, is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the arteries in the bloodstream and causes symptoms such as headache, fever, stiffness and weakness of chewing muscles, anemia, fatigue and, in some cases, more severe. , can cause blindness.
This condition is detected by your doctor by a physical exam, blood tests, and an artery biopsy, which show inflammation. Treatment is guided by a rheumatologist and, despite the lack of cure, the disease can be controlled very well with the use of medications, especially corticosteroids, such as prednisone.
- Temporary arteritis is more common in people over the age of 50 and.
- Although its cause remains uncertain.
- It is known to be linked to an imbalance of the immune system.
- This disease is a form of vascularitis.
- A type of rheumatic disease that affects blood circulation and can affect various parts of the body.
- Understand what vascularitis is and what it can cause.
Inflammation in the walls of the blood vessels causes widespread symptoms that prevent circulation of the affected blood vessel, especially the temporal artery, located in the face, as well as others such as the ophthalmic, carotid, aortic or coronary arteries, for example.
Thus, the main signs and symptoms are
In some cases severe changes, such as vision loss, sudden blindness, or aneurysms, may occur by identifying and treating your rheumatologist as soon as possible.
In addition to these symptoms, it is common for temporary arteritis to be accompanied by rheumatic polymyalgia, another condition that causes inflammation of muscles and joints, causing body pain, weakness and discomfort in the joints, especially in the hips and shoulders. Learn more about polymyalgia rheumatic.
Diagnosis of temporary arteritis is made by a clinical evaluation by the family doctor or rheumatologist, as well as blood tests, which show inflammation, such as elevated VS levels, which can reach values greater than 100 mm.
However, confirmation is done by biopsy of the temporal artery, which will demonstrate inflammatory changes directly in the vessel.
The treatment of giant cell arteritis is done to relieve symptoms and prevent vision loss, with the use of corticosteroids, such as prednisone, in doses with gradual reduction, guided by the rheumatologist. Medication use takes at least 3 months, varying depending on the improvement of symptoms.
In addition, your doctor may also recommend pain relievers and antipyretics, such as acetaminophen, to relieve symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and general discomfort, if they occur.
The disease can be controlled well with treatment and usually goes into remission, but it can recur after a certain time, which varies depending on the response of each person’s body.