Polymyalgia rheumatica affects proximal muscles and joints, causing disability in older adults. Giant cell arteritis affects medium and large arteries and can result in blindness. These conditions overlap significantly, often occurring together. Despite the similarities, each has distinct symptoms, corticosteroid dosing requirements, and prognosis. The hallmark of both conditions is inflammatio...

Giant cell arteritis (GCA), temporal arteritis or Horton’s arteritis, is a systemic vasculitis which involves large and medium sized vessels, especially the extracranial branches of the carotid arteries, in persons usually older than 50 years. Permanent visual loss, ischaemic strokes, and thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms are feared complications of GCA. The treatment consists of high dos...

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common vasculitis of the elderly. The diagnosis can be challenging at times because of the limitation of the American Rheumatology Association (ARA) classification criteria and the significant proportion of biopsy-negative patients with GCA. We discuss the role of advanced imaging techniques, including positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, in establ...

Despite the description of 12 pairs of first degree relatives with giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica, including affected siblings, the occurrence of these two entities in a conjugal pair has not been described. Previous reports of familial aggregation in giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica have emphasized a genetic predisposition. A recent extensive review of giant cel...

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) or temporal arteritis is the most frequent systemic vasculitis in our area, and its incidence may be on the increase in the last years. GCA involves large and medium-sized vessels, with preference to the extracranial arteries, and it affects persons older than 50 years. The aetiopathogenesis is unknown, although several infectious agents may be implicated. A normal te...

Whereas giant cell arteritis (GCA) was considered a rare disease 50 years ago, the generalized arteritis is now recognized as an important and significant cause of morbidity in elderly people; its cause and pathogenesis is poorly understood. Glucocorticosteroids are the drug of choice in all clinical types of GCA. In contrast to corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have no prov...

Progressive degenerative changes in ageing temporal arteries are described. These changes are usually severe in elderly patients, hence their presence in diagnostic biopsies provides no evidence of temporal arteritis past or present. In two patients in the series of random necropsies examined there were changes in the temporal arteries identical with those seen in patients known to have suffere...

We report the case of a giant cell arteritis (GCA) in an 81-year-old man who presented with headaches and a decreased general condition associated with an important inflammatory syndrome in laboratory analysis responding to corticotherapy. Color-duplex ultrasonography (CDU) features of temporal arteries obtained with a high frequency probe permits us to underline the typical radiological presen...

This issue provides a clinical overview of giant cell arteritis, focusing on diagnosis, treatment, and practice improvement. The content of In the Clinic is drawn from the clinical information and education resources of the American College of Physicians (ACP), including MKSAP (Medical Knowledge and Self-Assessment Program). Annals of Internal Medicine editors develop In the Clinic in collabora...