Temporal arteritis (artery of inflamed scalp)

Head | Neurology | Temporal arteritis (artery of inflamed scalp) (Disease)


Description

Temporal arteritis is a serious condition, common among people who were treated with high doses of antibiotics or have suffered serious infections.

Its main symptoms are drowsiness, malaise and weakness. Prompt treatment can improve immediately and events will help improve health and normalize the patients life. Untreated will lead to worsening of disease and serious complications . There are some serious symptoms associated with temporal arteritis. It is possible that many people do not notice they have a serious problem because some symptoms are vague and relatively minor and are often forgotten or ignored. Excessive sweating, fever and general feeling of discomfort are common manifestations of the disease. They are usually caused by lack of blood flow to the brain and other important parts of the body. Jaw pain and loss of appetite are common and are caused by decreased blood flow normally.

Other symptoms can be muscle pain, severe headaches, tenderness of the scalp and even blindness. When visual disturbances occur, they can be treated by LASIK surgery. In rare cases, the patient may be blind without any permanent solution to remedy the problem. Extreme lethargy and sudden weight loss are other signs of the condition. When they lose more than 5% of total body weight, without specifically to try to lose weight, the reason could be a serious problem. These symptoms may occur if the various medical conditions, so it is important to note and observe abnormal or different manifestations, to communicate doctor.

Causes and Risk factors

Temporal arteritis develops in patients suffering from polymyalgia rheumatic. Polymyalgia is a condition that causes severe acute pain in the shoulders, hips, especially in older people. It is not known much more about what causes this disease.

Most people diagnosed with this condition are over 50 years. Some researchers have tried to demonstrate that this disease is genetic, but were unable to get solid answers in this respect. This condition is known as the giant cell arteritis.

Diagnosis and Treatment

The goal of treatment is to reduce tissue damage that may occur due to lack of blood flow. Your doctor will likely prescribe corticosteroids taken by mouth. Corticosteroids are often started even before a biopsy confirms the diagnosis. Aspirin may also be recommended.

Most people begin to feel better within a few days after starting treatment. However, you need to take medications for 1 - 2 years. The dose of corticosteroids is slowly reduced. Taking corticosteroid medications for this long can make bones thinner and increase the chance of a fracture. ...