ABSTRACT
CME/Answers: Giant Cell Arteritis Abstract. Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common vasculitis among patients over the age of 50. Mainly large vessels are targeted. GCA can be differentiated into cranial and extra-cranial types; thus the symptoms can range from headache, blurred vision and jaw claudication to non-specific symptoms like fatigue, polymyalgia and fever. Complications such as an irreversible loss of vision are critical, which is why timeous diagnosis and treatment are essential. There are some recommendations for treatment, but no defined guidelines exist. Steroids have been the standard treatment for the past six decades and remain so, but side effects are common. Tocilizumab represents an alternative and more effective and safer treatment.
Subject(s)
Giant Cell Arteritis , Polymyalgia Rheumatica , Giant Cell Arteritis/diagnosis , Giant Cell Arteritis/drug therapy , Glucocorticoids , Headache , Humans , Myalgia , Polymyalgia Rheumatica/diagnosis , Polymyalgia Rheumatica/drug therapyABSTRACT
CME: Giant Cell Arteritis Abstract. Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common vasculitis among patients over the age of 50. Mainly large vessels are targeted. GCA can be differentiated into cranial and extra-cranial types; thus the symptoms can range from headache, blurred vision and jaw claudication to non-specific symptoms like fatigue, polymyalgia and fever. Complications such as an irreversible loss of vision are critical, which is why timeous diagnosis and treatment are essential. There are some recommendations for treatment, but no defined guidelines exist. Steroids have been the standard treatment for the past six decades and remain so, but side effects are common. Tocilizumab represents an alternative and more effective and safer treatment.
Subject(s)
Giant Cell Arteritis , Giant Cell Arteritis/diagnosis , Giant Cell Arteritis/drug therapy , Glucocorticoids , Headache , Humans , Myalgia , Vision DisordersABSTRACT
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in Switzerland and Lyme arthritis the most prevalent manifestation of late-stage Lyme disease. It presents as a monoarthitis or oligoarthritis in large joints, often involving the knee. Such a clinical presentation, together with positive Lyme serologies or polymerase chain reactions from synovial fluid/tissue, is considered diagnostic. If there is no tick bite or erythema migrans in the patient's history the diagnosis can be challenging due to the many differential diagnoses. The initial treatment is a prolonged course of oral antibiotics.
Subject(s)
Arthritis , Erythema Chronicum Migrans , Lyme Disease , Humans , Lyme Disease/diagnosis , Lyme Disease/drug therapy , Switzerland , Synovial FluidABSTRACT
CME: Musculoskeletal Manifestations of Lyme Disease Abstract. Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in Switzerland and Lyme arthritis the most prevalent manifestation of late-stage Lyme disease. It presents as a monoarthitis or oligoarthritis in large joints, often involving the knee. Such a clinical presentation, together with positive Lyme serologies or polymerase chain reactions from synovial fluid/tissue, is considered diagnostic. If there is no tick bite or erythema migrans in the patient's history the diagnosis can be challenging due to the many differential diagnoses. The initial treatment is a prolonged course of oral antibiotics.
