[Giant cell arteritis: temporal arteritis, rheumatic polymyalgia]

Abstract

Fourteen patients have been diagnosed for Giant Cell Arteritis by temporal biopsy or clinical criteria in the last five years. Two of them started with atypical symptoms. Polymyalgia Rheumatica was the commonest symptom (71%). Two patients (14%) had an irreversible blindness in eye one. Histologic changes of arteritis were shown by temporal biopsy in 8 cases, one of which had no cranial manifestations. A raised ESR was a constant finding (100%) followed by a alpha-2 globulin increase (93%) and anaemia (57%). One patient had rare complication of this disease: an aortic arch syndrome. The whole group responded well to the treatment.