All is true about Giant cell arteritis except –
Correct Answer: Most commonly involved artery is abdominal aorta
Description: Giant cell arteritis (Temporal arteritis)
It is the most common form of systemic vasculitis in adults, is an acute and chronic, often granulomatous, inflammation of arteries of large to small size.
It affects principally the arteries in the head-especially the temporal arteries—but also the vertebral and ophthalmic arteries and the aorta, where it may cause a thoracic aortic aneurysm
Giant cell arteritis or temporal arteritis
It is the most common form of systemic vasculitis in adults.
It is an acute and chronic; often granulomatous inflammation of arteries of large to small size,
Giant cell arteritis affects principally the arteries in the head, especially the temporal arteries which is the extracranial branch of the carotid artery,
Vertebral and ophthalmic arteries may also be involved.
A segment of the affected artery develops nodular thickening with narrowing of the lumen.
There is granulomatous inflammation in the vessel wall with a foreign body and Langhans type multinucleated giant cells and fragmentation of internal elastic lamina.
Presentation of Giant cell arteritis
o Constitutional symptoms
Most common nonspecific symptoms
Include malaise, fatigue, anorexia and weight loss.
These symptoms are due to the generalized involvement of the body and are not related to any organ involvement,
o A headache
It is the most common vasculitis related symptom.
Most commonly over temporal region.
o Jaw claudication
It is the most specific symptom of GCA.
It is manifested as pain in masseter when eating food that requires vigorous chewing because oxygen demand of the masseter exceeds the supply provided by narrowed and inflamed arteries.
o Visual symptoms
Diplopia and visual loss.
Ophthalmic artery involvement can lead to sudden blindness which is the most feared complication of GCA.
o Polymyalgia rheumatica
Aching and stiffness of the shoulder, neck and lip girdle area,
o Arthritis
o Raised ESR
o Normocytic-Normochromic anaemia
Category:
Pathology
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