Giant cell arteritis with spontaneous remission.
Mod Rheumatol Case Rep
; 6(1): 75-79, 2022 Jan 07.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1868339
ABSTRACT
The case of a 75-year-old woman diagnosed with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), treated with low doses of prednisone, and with clinical and analytical remission is reported. Two years later, she presented with a clinical picture of giant cell arteritis (GCA), including headache, diplopia, jaw pain, feeling of swelling in both temples, and elevation of acute phase reactants. Symptoms spontaneously subsided 2 weeks later, while analytical parameters improved without any treatment. A high-resolution colour Doppler ultrasound showed thickening of the intima-media complex with 'halo' sign in the right temporal artery. A biopsy of the right temporal artery was performed, although it was not successful, as no artery could be found, and the procedure became more complicated with an eyebrow ptosis due to a lesion in the frontal branch of the facial nerve. GCA diagnosis was based on the clinical, laboratory, and ultrasound findings. The patient was treated with prednisone and methotrexate, without clinical or analytical relapse. Comments are presented on the described cases of GCA with spontaneous remission, and the most appropriate treatments in these cases are discussed. Other peculiarities of the case, such as the progression to GCA more than 2 years after the onset of PMR, and the complications from the temporal artery biopsy are also mentioned.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Polymyalgia Rheumatica
/
Giant Cell Arteritis
Type of study:
Case report
/
Diagnostic study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Mod Rheumatol Case Rep
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Mrcr
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