Symptoms and Signs
People who suffer from giant cell arteritis belong to the 50 plus age group; it often appears when one’s in 70s. It is common in females compared to males and in the Scandinavian population.
Symptoms vary from person to person. These include:
- Headache usually on either side of the head. It could also occur in other areas depending on the artery affected. The headache has usually appeared for the first time and is different from those experienced earlier
- Severe pain on the scalp that makes it difficult for the patient to comb hair, wear spectacles or even lie down
- Some patients may have pain while chewing or opening the mouth
- Patients may show symptoms of complications of the disease like disturbance in vision, blurring and even blindness
- Many patients with temporal arteries also suffer from another condition called polymyalgia rheumatica. In this condition, the patient experiences muscle pain and stiffness of the shoulder and pelvic muscles, fever, malaise and weight loss
- Joints may feel painful
- The patient may show sudden weight loss
- On examination, the temporal vessel may feel thick like a cord and painful. The force of the pulse may also be reduced
