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Query: UMLS:C0039483 (giant cell arteritis)
 3,204 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Dementia is an infrequent and little known manifestation of giant cell arteritis or temporal arteritis (GCA-TA). The cases of 2 women with histologically proven GCA-TA are presented in which, together with the most classical symptoms, they presented a brusque mental deterioration on initiation of the disease. One patient developed a severe irreversible dementia which coincided with a rapid reduction in the doses of corticoids; while the other patient demonstrated improvement in cognitive function with steroid treatment and control of the disease. Magnetic resonance studies revealed multiple areas of infarction in both hemispheres in the two patients. The importance of treating multi-infarct dementia is underlined in the context of GCA-TA with high doses of corticoids. It is also emphasized that GCA-TA should be considered in the evaluation of older patients with mental alterations.
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PMID:[Multi-infarct dementia in giant cell arteritis (temporal arteritis)]. 176 83

Headache is the most frequent symptom for which a patient with giant cell arteritis (GCA) presents to a neurologist. Amaurosis fugax and ischemic optic neuropathy are well-recognized complications. Less commonly recognized neurologic complications include transient ischemic attacks, cerebral infarctions, acute confusional states (due to multi-infarct dementia), ischemic cervical myelopathy, and ischemic mononeuropathies. Because patients with GCA generally respond well to corticosteroid therapy, prompt diagnosis can minimize neurologic damage.
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PMID:Neurologic aspects of giant cell (temporal) arteritis. 826 30

Headache is the most frequent symptom for which a patient with giant cell arteritis (GCA) presents to a neurologist. Amaurosis fugax and ischemic optic neuropathy are well recognized complications. Less commonly recognized neurologic complications include transient ischemic attacks, cerebral infarctions, acute confusional states, multi-infarct dementia, ischemic cervical myelopathy, and ischemic mononeuropathies. Because patients with GCA generally respond well to corticosteroid therapy, prompt diagnosis can minimize neurologic damage.
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PMID:Giant cell (temporal) arteritis. 936 71

Cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) and multi-infarct dementia have rarely been reported as presenting symptoms of giant cell arteritis (GCA), although 3%-4% of patients with GCA may present with CVAs during the course of the disease. We describe 7 patients with biopsy-proven GCA who presented with stroke or multi-infarct dementia. Most of them had other symptoms of GCA when the disease began that were misdiagnosed or not noticed. The internal carotid arteries were involved in 4 patients and the vertebrobasilar arteries in 3, with bilateral vertebral artery occlusion in 1. Small cerebral infarction foci on cranial computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were found in 5 cases, and cerebellar infarction, in 2. MR angiography showed intracranial arteritis in 4 cases. Treatment with glucocorticoids and adjunctive antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy was given in all cases, with neurologic improvement in 5. Two patients died. Necropsy demonstrated generalized GCA involving the medium and small cerebral vessels in 1 case. Central nervous system involvement is a rare complication in GCA but is important to recognize, as it can be reversible if diagnosed and treated promptly. Suspicion should arise in elderly patients suffering from strokes with a quickly progressing stepwise course and associated headache, fever, or inflammatory syndrome. In these cases, temporal artery biopsy should be performed without delay. Early diagnosis of GCA and immediate initiation of corticosteroid treatment may prevent progressive deterioration and death. Additional antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy should be evaluated according to the individual risk and benefit to the patient under care.
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PMID:Stroke and multi-infarct dementia as presenting symptoms of giant cell arteritis: report of 7 cases and review of the literature. 1901 5