Diseases

Giant Cell Arteritis

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Giant cell arteritis (gca) is a disease of blood vessels, may occur together with polymyalgia rheumatica. Gca occurs only in older adults, mainly those over age of 50, and can cause swelling and thickening of the small artery under the skin called the temporal artery.

SYMPTOMS

Symptoms include headaches, jaw pain, vision loss, fever and fatigue. Diagnosis usually requires biopsy of the temporal artery.

CAUSES

The cause for this reaction is not known. Inflammation of blood vessels causes the symptoms of giant cell arteritis such as headaches because of inflammation of thetemporal arteries of the head. Swelling also causes narrowing of the blood vessels, which, in turn, results in diminished blood flow.