Temporal arteritis

Background

• Giant cell arteritis
• Systemic vasculitis involving medium-sized arteries in the carotid circulation
• Women
• 50-70 yrs typically
• Can cause painless, ischemic optic neuropathy w/ severe vision loss if left untreated
• Assoc w/ polymyalgia rheumatica (30-40%)

Clinical Features

• Fever
• Headache
• Jaw claudication
  • Weight Loss
• Myalgias
• Visual loss in one eye

Differential Diagnosis

Headache

Common

• Migraine headache
• Tension headache
• Cluster headache

Killers

• Meningitis/encephalitis
  • Neoplastic meningitis
• Myocardial ischemia
• Retropharyngeal abscess
• Intracranial Hemorrhage (ICH)
  • SAH / sentinel bleed
• Acute obstructive hydrocephalus
• Space occupying lesions
• CVA
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Basilar artery dissection
• Preeclampsia
• Cerebral venous thrombosis
• Hypertensive emergency
• Depression

Maimers

• Giant cell arteritis of temporal artery (temporal arteritis)
• Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (Pseudotumor Cerebri)
• Acute Glaucoma
• Acute sinusitis
• Cavernous sinus thrombosis or cerebral sinus thrombosis
• Carotid artery dissection

Others

• Mild traumatic brain injury
• Trigeminal neuralgia
• TMJ pain
• Post-lumbar puncture headache
• Dehydration
• Analgesia abuse
• Various ocular and dental problems
• Herpes zoster ophthalmicus
• Herpes zoster oticus
• Cryptococcosis
• Febrile headache (e.g. pyelonephritis, nonspecific viral infection)
• Ophthalmoplegic migraine
• Superior Vena Cava Syndrome

Aseptic Meningitis

• Viral
  • Varicella
  • Herpes
  • Enterovirus
  • West Nile
• Tuberculosis
• Lyme disease
• Syphilis
• Leptospirosis
• Fungal (AIDS, transplant, chemotherapy, chronic steroid use)
• Noninfectious
  • Sarcoidosis
  • Vasculitis
  • Connective tissue disease
  • Drug induced aseptic meningitis

Acute Vision Loss (Noninflamed)

• Painful
  • Arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy
  • Optic neuritis
  • Temporal arteritis^†
• Painless
  • Amaurosis fugax
  • Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO)^†
  • Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO)^†
  • High altitude retinopathy
  • Open-angle glaucoma
  • Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES)
  • Retinal detachment^†
  • Stroke^†
  • Vitreous hemorrhage
  • Traumatic optic neuropathy (although may have pain from the trauma)

^†Emergent Diagnosis

Diagnosis

• Temporal artery tenderness
• Afferent pupillary defect
• ESR ~70-110
• CRP elevated

Treatment

• Methylprednisolone 1000mg IV QD x3d
• Needs temporal artery biopsy

Disposition

• Admission

See Also

• Headache