Temporal Arteritis
Alternate Names : Arteritis - Temporal, Cranial Arteritis, Giant Cell Arteritis
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Diagnosis & Tests
When the doctor feels (palpates) the head, the scalp is sensitive and often shows a tender, thick artery on one side of the head. The affected artery may have a weakened pulse or no pulse. About 40% of people will have other nonspecific symptoms such as respiratory complaints (most frequently dry cough) or mononeuritis multiplex (weakness and/or pain of multiple individual nerve groups). Rarely, paralysis of eye muscles) may occur. A persistant fever may be the only symptom.
Blood tests are nonspecific.
A biopsy and analysis of tissue from the affected artery show changes that confirm the diagnosis of temporal vasculitis in most cases.
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