What is Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA)?  What is the treatment for Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA)?

Giant cell arteritis is an immunologic inflammatory disease of the arteries.   One can experience vision loss (sudden or transient), diplopia, headaches, pain when chewing, forehead tenderness, loss of appetite, and pain and stiffness with the muscle in the extremities.   In the eye one can have artery diseases that can lead to sudden, serious, and permanent vision loss within days.  A doctor will typically do blood work and biopsy an artery for pathology to examine.  If one is thought to have GCA the doctor will typically start corticosteroids even before final diagnosis.  This is to prevent the loss of vision in the other eye.  

Treatment

     Corticosteroids (oral or IV)