Division
East Florida
Hospital
HCA Florida Westside Hospital
Specialty
Transitional Year
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
2023
Keywords
temporal cell arteritis, cranial arteritis, central nervous system vasculitis
Disciplines
Cardiovascular Diseases | Internal Medicine | Medicine and Health Sciences | Nervous System Diseases
Abstract
Introduction: Giant Cell Arteritis is condition that commonly affects patients between the ages of 70 and 80 years old. It rarely affects those younger than 50 years of age.
Description: A 40-year-old African American woman, who had previously been diagnosed with Giant Cell Arthritis via temporal artery biopsy at age 33, presented to the emergency department due to facial and arm numbness and throbbing headache. Her ESR was markedly elevated and she was placed on prednisone.
Discussion: The incidence of Giant Cell Arthritis is between 5.8 to 31.3 per 100,000 in the population. This disease affects women 2-3 times more often than men. With the average age of disease onset being age 72, this patient was particularly unique in the extremely young age of her original diagnosis. Proper diagnosis of this disease is extremely important as improper treatment can result in loss of vision.
Conclusion: This report aims to bring greater awareness to Giant Cell Arteritis in the differential diagnoses of headache in young to middle age women.
Recommended Citation
O'Brien, Tricia; Mesquita, Philip; and Chaudhry, Zahid, "A Young Case of Giant Cell Arteritis" (2023). East Florida Research Day 2023. 43.
https://scholarlycommons.hcahealthcare.com/eastflorida2023/43
Abstract
Included in
Cardiovascular Diseases Commons, Internal Medicine Commons, Nervous System Diseases Commons