What is the difference between temporal arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica?
It usually affects the arteries above and in front of the ears on both sides of the head (the temples). This type of GCA is also sometimes called temporal arteritis or cranial arteritis. Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a condition involving inflammation of the muscles in your neck, shoulders, hips, and thighs.
What is the relationship between polymyalgia rheumatica and temporal arteritis?
What Is Temporal Arteritis? About 15% of people with polymyalgia rheumatica also have temporal arteritis and about half of people with temporal arteritis also have polymyalgia rheumatica. Temporal arteritis causes inflammation that damages large and medium-sized arteries.
What is the difference between giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica?
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) and Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) Polymyalgia rheumatica, which causes pain in major muscle groups, and giant cell arteritis, a disorder of inflamed arteries also called temporal arteritis, often affect people older than 50, more women than men, and more Caucasians than other ethnic groups.
Is temporal arteritis serious?
Temporal arteritis (giant cell arteritis) is where the arteries, particularly those at the side of the head (the temples), become inflamed. It’s serious and needs urgent treatment.
What causes polymyalgia to flare up?
The cause of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is unknown. It is possible that the way the immune system responds to certain viruses may trigger the disease. It is most probable that its development is triggered by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
What causes temporal arteritis?
The cause of the condition is unknown. It is believed to be due in part to a faulty immune response. The disorder has been linked to some infections and to certain genes. Giant cell arteritis is more common in people with another inflammatory disorder known as polymyalgia rheumatica.
What mimics temporal arteritis?
Unfortunately, the symptoms and clinical signs of temporal arteritis mimic those of a number of other conditions including angle-closure glaucoma, hypertension, migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, temporomandibular joint syndrome, carotid artery occlusive disease, Foster-Kennedy syndrome, and nonarteritic AION.
What autoimmune disease causes temporal arteritis?
It’s an autoimmune disease. That means your immune system mistakenly attacks your body’s healthy tissues. In giant cell arteritis, immune cells react against blood vessels and make them inflamed.
What can polymyalgia be mistaken for?
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) causes symptoms similar to those of several other conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and fibromyalgia. For this reason, doctors can misdiagnose it.