• Vol 10 • February 2008 158 Carotidynia is a neck pain syndrome associated with tenderness on palpation over the carotid bifurcation. The differential diagnosis for carotidynia includes largevessel vasculitides such as Takayasu’s and temporal arteritis, arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, dissection and aneurysm. Carotidynia, particularly in a young patient or a patient without risk factors for athe...

Giant cell arteritis should not be a diagnosis of exclusion, an afterthought, or a last thought. There is urgency to establishing this diagnosis and initiating therapy. All practitioners who treat adults will be confronted with these patients. Some will have classic presentations, some will have subtle presentations. When patients complain of fever, fatigue, malaise, weight loss, or painless vi...

Introduction The classical picture ofgiant cell arteritis, an elderly patient with headache and an inflamed temporal artery, is well known. It is also well recognized that in some patients sudden blindness may be the first sign of the disease (Healey and Wilske, 1977). However, when these cardinal manifestations are absent or vague and the patient develops an uncommon symptom, the diagnosis is ...

Temporal arteritis is middle and large vessel vasculitis, that affects parts of carotid arteries. First symptoms are headache, weakness and tiredness. Later occur scalp sensitivity, lack of pulse and temporal nodes, visual disturbances, and claudications of jaw and limbs. Diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, and biopsy of the temporal artery. First choice for treatment ...

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) are both more common among people of North European decent than among Mediterranean people. Women are 2-3 times more commonly affected. Giant cell arteritis and PMR are extremely rare before age 50 years. Polymyalgia rheumatica may be "isolated" or associated with GCA. There is increased expression of inflammatory cytokines in temporal...