Flashcards
Temporal Arteritis
Cards in this deck (10)
- 1What is temporal arteritis?Temporal/giant cell arteritis is a systemic vasculitis that can affect both large and medium sized vessels.
- 2What condition is temporal arteritis often associated with?Polymyalgia rheumatica
- 3Who classically gets temporal arteritis (sex and age)Women >50 years
- 4What causes visual symptoms in temporal arteritis?Involvement of the extra cranial branches of the carotid artery (which supplies ophthalmic artery)
- 5What are the signs and symptoms of temporal arteritis?- Unilateral, localised headache over temporal area.
- Tenderness/thickening/nodularity with associated redness of overlying skin.
- Systemic features
- Scalp tenderness
- Intermittent jaw claudication
- Eye symptoms
- Neurological features
- Peripheral arthritis/distal swelling/pitting oedema - 6What are the visual findings in temporal arteritis?- Diplopia
- Visual field defects
- Changes to colour vision
- A feeling of 'shade' covering one eye
- Typically painless
Permanent partial or complete loss of vision in one or both eyes occurs in up to 20% of people and is a common early symptom. If untreated, the second eye is likely to become affected within 1-2 weeks (but can be as early as 24h)
Visual loss is permanent! - 7What are potential signs on fundoscopy of temporal arteritis?Pallor and oedema of the optic disc
Cotton wool patches
Small haemorrhages in the retina - 8How can temporal arteritis be diagnosed?- History
- ESR and CRP elevated
- Temporal artery USS - Halo sign - thickening of wall of affected vessels.
- Temporal artery biopsy - may show presence of a mononuclear cell infiltration or granulomatous inflammation usually with multinucleated giant cells
Other findings - LFTs (mild transaminitis), FBC (normocytic normochromic anaemia) - 9How is temporal arteritis managed?Medical emergency - refer to rheumatology.
If visual symptoms - oral prednisolone followed by IV methylprednisolone then longer course of oral steroids.
If no visual symptoms - oral prednisolone
Then gradual reduction in dose. Follow-up required. - 10—
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- Rheumatology Flashcards on Temporal Arteritis , created by Jenna Paterson on 08/10/2020.
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- Jenna Paterson
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