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Giant cell arteritis (GCA), also called temporal arteritis, is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of large blood vessels. [ 4 ] [ 7 ] Symptoms may include headache , pain over the temples, flu-like symptoms , double vision , and difficulty opening the mouth. [ 3 ]
The definite diagnosis of vasculitis is established after a biopsy of involved organ or tissue, such as skin, sinuses, lung, nerve, brain, and kidney. The biopsy elucidates the pattern of blood vessel inflammation. Some types of vasculitis display leukocytoclasis, which is vascular damage caused by nuclear debris from infiltrating neutrophils. [37]
AAION is due to temporal arteritis (also called giant-cell arteritis), an inflammatory disease of medium-sized blood vessels (Chapel-Hill-Conference) that occurs especially with advancing age. In contrast, NAION results from the coincidence of cardiovascular risk factors in a patient with "crowded" optic discs.
The disease's symptoms can range from catastrophic neurological impairment to an asymptomatic condition brought on by impalpable pulses or bruits. [7] Non-specific features include mild anemia, myalgia, arthralgia, weight loss, malaise, night sweats, and fever. [8] Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common type of systemic vasculitis in adults.
Initial signs are highly variable, and diagnosis can be severely delayed due to the nonspecific nature of the symptoms. In general, irritation and nasal inflammation are the first signs in most people. [12] [13] Involvement of the upper respiratory tract, such as the nose and sinuses, is seen in nearly all people with GPA. [14]
Sudden visual loss is the most common symptom in AAION, [1] and is most often accompanied by other symptoms of temporal arteritis: such as jaw claudication, scalp tenderness, unintentional weight loss, fatigue, myalgias and loss of appetite. [1] A related disease called polymyalgia rheumatica has a 15 percent incidence of giant cell arteritis.
Arteritis is a vascular disorder characterized by inflammation of the walls of arteries, [1] usually as a result of infection or autoimmune responses. Arteritis, a complex disorder, is still not entirely understood. [2] Arteritis may be distinguished by its different types, based on the organ systems affected by the disease. [2]
Diagnosis of this rare disease is often misdiagnosed or delayed, leading to results such as amputation and death. In a rare case, an 80 year old woman displayed symptoms resembling temporal arteritis. However, pathological findings confirmed that it was Mönckeberg's arteriosclerosis instead.