Talk with your doctor about ways to minimize these side effects. rarely avascular necrosis of certain bones, which is when bone tissue dies due to a lack of blood supply.difficulty sleeping at night and restlessness.It’s important to know that corticosteroids can increase your risk of developing other medical conditions, such as: This is because prolonged use of corticosteroids can severely affect your bones and other metabolic functions. Afterward, testing will depend on your individual symptoms. Your doctor will monitor your inflammation via lab testing every 2-4 weeks in the first six months. They’ll need to monitor your progress as well as the way that your body is handling medical treatment. While you’re undergoing corticosteroid therapy, it’s important that you schedule regular checkups with your doctor. Some may have to take a permanent low dose. Most people with temporal arteritis continue taking corticosteroids for at least a year. Your doctor will taper the corticosteroids slowly over the next 4 to 6 months. The response to steroids is typically dramatic. If there is a visual loss or a high suspicion of impending visual loss, the dose may be high, and sometimes intravenous doses of high dose steroids may be considered. If there is no visual loss, the initial dose will typically be high, equating to about 1 milligram (mg)/kilogram (kg), usually about 40 to 60 milligrams (mg) a day. Blood markers for inflammation usually improve within 2-4 weeks. The response to prednisone is typically dramatic. Prednisone is the most common corticosteroid used and has been proven to prevent visual loss. Even if the diagnosis is only suspected and the test results are still pending, your doctor may still prescribe oral corticosteroids immediately. The main treatment for temporal arteritis is corticosteroids. If a doctor suspects you have temporal arteritis, treatment should begin immediately, even if test results haven’t yet confirmed the diagnosis. The main treatment goal is to prevent permanent visual loss and suppress inflammation of the blood vessels that can cause tissue damage. Read on to learn more about temporal arteritis, its symptoms, treatment, causes, diagnosis criteria, and possible complications. Sudden blindness can occur due to a lack of blood flow to the part of the eye called the optic nerve.

People who have this condition are at risk of serious complications. According to the American College of Rheumatology, cisgender females are more likely than cisgender males to have temporal arteritis.Īlthough it usually occurs in the temporal arteries and other blood vessels in the head, it can also affect other medium and large blood vessels, such as the aorta and its branches. Temporal arteritis is primarily a disease of older individuals, and it seems to have the highest incidence in northern European and Scandinavian countries. It also has an annual mortality rate of about 20 deaths per 1,000. The condition is a type of vasculitis.Īccording to a review of research published in 2021, the overall incidence of the condition is about 10 cases per 100,000 people in individuals over 50 years old. Temporal arteritis is also known as cranial arteritis or giant cell arteritis. Early medical care can prevent serious complications like blindness. Temporal arteritis is an autoimmune condition in which the temporal arteries, which supply blood to the head and brain, become inflamed or damaged.

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