Giant cell arteritis

Giant cell arteritis is an inflammatory disease of medium and large arteries, especially branches of the carotid artery in the head. It can impair blood flow to the eyes and cause irreversible vision loss.

Temporal artery: A superficial artery supplying the scalp, commonly examined and biopsied when giant cell arteritis is suspected. Inflammation here can produce scalp tenderness and a thickened, tender artery.
Temporal artery biopsy: A procedure that removes a small segment of temporal artery for microscopic examination. It can confirm arterial inflammation, though disease may be patchy.
Vasculitis: Inflammation of blood vessels that can damage vessel walls and disrupt blood flow. Giant cell arteritis is a form of vasculitis affecting medium and large arteries.
Takayasu arteritis: A large-vessel vasculitis that usually affects the aorta and its branches in younger people. It resembles giant cell arteritis anatomically but typically begins before age 50.
Granulomatous inflammation: A pattern of chronic inflammation in which immune cells form organized aggregates called granulomas. Biopsy may show this pattern within affected arterial walls.
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate: A blood test measuring how quickly red blood cells settle in a tube over one hour. It is often elevated, but a normal result does not exclude the disease.
Large-vessel vasculitis: Vasculitis primarily affecting the aorta and its major branches. The disease can extend beyond head arteries to the aorta and its branches.
Atherosclerosis: A disease in which plaque builds up within artery walls and narrows their lumen. It can cause ischemic symptoms, but its arterial lesions are not vasculitic inflammation.
Interleukin 6: An immune signaling protein that promotes inflammation and stimulates production of acute-phase proteins. Its activity contributes to systemic inflammation and elevated inflammatory markers.
C-reactive protein: A blood protein whose concentration rises in response to inflammation. It helps assess systemic inflammation alongside the sedimentation rate.

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Fever of unknown originRelated: In older adults, it can cause fever and systemic symptoms even without classic headache.