by Debbie Paulsen

Created on: October 25, 2008

Does this sound familiar to you? Headaches, that may have innocently started out quite mild, but have progressively intensified over time? Have you always considered yourself pretty healthy, but suddenly find you have started to lose some of your pep? Finding yourself feeling more, and more fatigued? Is your body kind of achy all over, like you went to the gym, and over did it with a way too hard work out ? You know you don't feel good, you have been to the doctors, but nothing has been diagnosed yet. If you have these symptoms, along with others,(see complete listing) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/giant-cell-arteriti s/DS00440

You should talk to your doctor, about Giant Cell arteritis. Sometimes, patients with difficult to diagnose conditions, can progress to a dangerous stage, before finally being diagnosed in the emergency room.

If you have recently been diagnosed with giant cell arteritis, your first question may very well have been,"What is giant cell arteritis?" It turns out that this condition is an inflammation of the arteries. A form of vasculitis. Often the carotid arteries that travel up along the sides of your neck are affected. This is why severe head aches and varying levels of sight involvement are so common. Left unchecked, giant cell arteritis could cause a partial to total loss of vision. It has also been noted that many of the people who have been diagnosed with giant cell arteritis, also often suffer from a form of arthritis, that is known as polymyalgia rheumatica.

If your doctor suspects this condition may be what is ailing you he can order blood tests. An elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate can be a clue to diagnosing giant cell arteritis. He also may check for anemia, as this too is common among patients diagnosed with arteritis. He may also order a biopsy of part of the artery most likely inflamed. This is a very simple out patient procedure.

Luckily when caught in it's early stages giant cell arteritis is easily treatable. Your doctor will most likely prescribe a course of a corticosteroid product, like prednisone. Generally relief is seen within a matter of days. Unfortunately if there has been vision loss treatment will not be able to restore sight.

As far as why it happens? Or who gets it? Doctors and scientists are unsure. They do know that it has something to do with an attack by our own immune system, but further investigation will need to be done to discover why this happens.

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