41. A common rheumatology referral of vague constitutional symptoms and raised inflammatory markers

摘要

IntroductionGiant cell arteritis (GCA) is an inflammatory process affecting the medium/large vessels. Initially, the symptoms are vague constitutional symptoms caused by systemic inflammation. It is a chronic, granulomatous inflammation which most classically causes headache (in the temporal/occipital region), jaw claudication, scalp tenderness and visual loss/disturbance. There is now thought to be subgroups of GCA, one of which causes inflammation without temporal involvement (LV-GCA). If left untreated, this can have serious complications including ischemia (including cerebrovascular accident) and aortic aneurysm/dissection. Diagnosis of this subgroup can be challenging and in depth scanning is often required to support this.