Giant cell arteritis (temporal arteritis) is a chronic vasculitis that usually affects older people. Although this is a systemic disease, it most often affects the cranial arteries. The most frequent complication of this disorder is visual loss. We report the case of a patient who suffered several rare complications, including tongue necrosis, as a result of being diagnosed with giant cell arte...

In the investigation of six patients with giant cell arteritis and abnormal liver function radionuclide liver scans were found to be abnormal in all. The abnormality may be due to arteritis of hepatic vessels. It is important to recognise that giant cell arteritis may cause liver scan abnormalities. If other pathology is suspected and corticosteroid treatment delayed while further investigation...

Death due to giant cell arteritis (GCA) is rare, and is usually caused by coronary or vertebral arteritis in the acute phase of the disease. A case of fatal GCA is reported in a woman with a normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate, who had been treated for temporal arteritis for eight months. Post mortem examination showed a dissection and thrombosis of the intracranial portion of the left verteb...

A 58-year-old woman had a clinical history compatible with polymyalgia rheumatica but with an unexplained interstitial lung disease. Evaluation, including biopsy specimens of temporal artery, lung, and gastrocnemius muscle, was consistent with giant cell arteritis. This case identifies giant cell arteritis as a cause of interstitial lung disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to describe typical ultrasonographic findings of vertebral arteries in patients affected by giant cell arteritis. METHODS Color duplex sonography was used to asses the cervical arteries within 24 hours from stroke onset in 1237 patients. Vertebral arteritis was considered if concentric, homogeneous, and smooth hypoechogenic mural thickening...

Dear Editor, A 77-year-old Indian man who was an ex-smoker has a medical history of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, previous cerebral lacunar infarct and temporal (giant cell) arteritis which was complicated by optic neuritis. The giant cell arteritis was diagnosed 12 years ago. He has received chronic steroid treatment in the past. He presented with congestive heart failure in the current hospi...

OBJECTIVE To describe demographic features, disease manifestations and therapy in patients with giant cell arteritis from referral centers in Brazil. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was performed on 45 giant cell arteritis patients from three university hospitals in Brazil. Diagnoses were based on the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for giant cell arteritis or te...

BACKGROUND Giant-cell arteritis is a diagnostic challenge. PURPOSE To determine the diagnostic performance of ultrasonography for giant-cell arteritis. DATA SOURCES Studies published up to April 2004 in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases; reference lists; and direct contact with investigators. STUDY SELECTION Studies in any language that examined temporal artery ultrasonography f...

To explore the role of adhesion molecules in mediating mononuclear cell localisation, development of the granulomatous reaction, and cell mediated damage to the arterial wall in giant cell arteritis, 17 temporal artery biopsy specimens were examined. Eleven showed the histological features of giant cell arteritis and six showed no evidence of arteritis. All were examined for the expression of L...