Temporal Arteritis - Up Close & Personal
Temporal Arteritis - Up Close & Personal
Complications of this condition include stroke and blindness. Other names for temporal arteritis include:
? Cranial arteritis
? Giant cell arteritis
Temporal arteritis is also considered as an autoimmune disorder. It is noted that age is the major factor why most people who are aged 50 years and above have it. Gender is another contributing factor because it is most common in women than in men.
According to studies, temporal arteritis is also a typical cause of "vasculitis" and several neurological symptoms affecting the head, face, vision, eyes and other parts of the body in general. Though it is treatable, if ignored and left untreated, it can pave the way for serious complications.
How is temporal arteritis diagnosed?
The doctor must run you through your medical history, symptoms and complete physical exam. Blood tests are also required. This may include ESR or erythrocyte sedimention rate and CBC or complete blood count. These will help determine if there are any inflammatory processes happening inside the body.
Even the eye exam may include a series of tests like the visual acuity test. This is used for checking how sharp the vision of a patient is. It involves reading an eye chart that is situated at a specific distance from the patient. This test can check sight on the peripheral side of vision.
Another option is the use of a special eye drop which enlarges the pupil of the eye. This way, the physician can directly look into the patient's eyes using a special instrument known as an opthalmoscope. It can evaluate the health of both the optic nerve and the retina.
One other way is to use special dyes for the eyes. These can help reveal damage and dry spots to the cornea.
For the definitive diagnostic test, doctors will suggest a temporal artery biopsy. The test requires a sample of the temporal artery which will be examined under a microscope. Doctors will be looking for inflammatory changes that would indicated temporal arteritis.
There are other tests usually performed in order to evaluate the general health of the patient. These tests can also help determine if there are damages to the brain and if there are complications caused by the suspected condition. This would include imaging tests like:
? MRI; or
? CT Scan
These tests can help detect damage occurred in the brain because of temporal arteritis.
Thus, there may be instances of delayed or misdiagnosis because the symptoms that manifest are vague or similar to that of other diseases, disorders or conditions. Do You Need Personal Injury Lawyers? Proving Negligence For a Personal Injury Claim Review: Scott Monge Offers Legal Counsel for Personal Injury Claims in Atlanta, GA Prefer Cheap Motorcycle Insurance - Start preparing Your Own Motorcycle Adequately The way to generate your personal sticker Personal Trainers Era Introduction of Personal Injury Claims The Benefits of Hiring Personal Injury Lawyer Personal Goals Personal Injury Law Firms Personal Injury Lawyers - Making a Claim Tips on Choosing a Personal Injury Attorney What does Metaphysics indicate to you personally?