ABSTRACT
Temporal (giant cell) arteritis is a chronic vasculitis of large and medium sized vessels which usually occurs in individuals above 50 years of age. In patients less than 50 years temporal artery vasculitis is extremely rare. The clinical presentations of the vasculitis in younger patients appear to be different from the older patients. We present two case reports of temporal artery vasculitis in patients less than 50 years, one of them with human immunodeficiency virus infection. Both the cases had variable clinical presentations and good response to treatment.
Subject(s)
Giant Cell Arteritis/pathology , HIV Infections/pathology , Adult , Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use , Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active/methods , Giant Cell Arteritis/complications , Giant Cell Arteritis/drug therapy , HIV Infections/complications , HIV Infections/drug therapy , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Prednisone/therapeutic use , Remission Induction , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
ANCA associated vasculitides are a group of disorders characterized by the presence of necrotizing inflammation of blood vessels that involve venules, capillaries, arterioles, arteries, and veins. They are characterized by the presence of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). ANCA associated vasculitis commonly affects the kidney producing proteinuria, hematuria and variable degrees of renal failure. Other organs involved include the lung, skin and peripheral nervous system. We present a patient with limited systemic sclerosis, who later developed pauci-immune glomerulonephritis with p-ANCA (antimyeloperoxidase) specificity and, whose disease was later complicated by cerebral vasculitis with multiple intracerebral hemorrhages.
