Do you have temporal arteritis?

Temporal Arteritis is a devastating autoimmune disease. It’s worth complication is complete blindness. It is a disease characterized by inflammation of the blood vessels in the body eventually causing them to close off. For the eye, this can be devastating as the ophthalmic artery can be closed off resulting in loss of blood to the eye which results in blindness.

What are the symptoms of Temporal Arteritis or Giant Cell Arteritis?

There are a myriad of symptoms that can occur in Temporal Arteritis patients but the big symptoms are:

Headache

Scalp Tenderness

Jaw Pain when chewing

Fatigue

Weight loss

Visual disturbance

Vision loss

How do I know if I have temporal Arteritis?

Other than symptoms a blood count, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate and Platelet count can correlate with the disease but the definitive diagnosis is made with a biopsy of the temporal artery.

Is temporal arteritis related to any other diseases?

Temporal Arteritis is related to Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Chickenpox virus.

What is a temporal artery biopsy?

A biopsy of the temporal artery involves numbing the scalp, removing part of the artery and closing the skin. The procedure takes about 25 minutes.

What is the treatment for Temporal Arteritis

The treatment for temporal arteritis is steroids which are taken for several months.

Who can I see if I think I have Temporal Arteritis?