Giant cell arteritis: An interesting case presentation

Abstract

Giant cell arteritis (GCA), otherwise known as temporal arteritis, is a form of large vessel vasculitis. Patients may present with a variety of symptoms but the most common include headaches, jaw claudication, fatigue, night sweats and visual disturbance. Diagnosis is made using a combination of temporal artery ultrasound, clinical findings and blood tests and the diagnostic gold standard of a temporal artery biopsy and is sometimes needed for histopathological confirmation. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochaete Treponema pallidum, which can infect the central nervous system and cause neurosyphilis, which can mimic GCA.