Symptoms and Complications
The early symptoms of temporal arteritis may be similar to a case of influenza
(the flu), with fever, weakness, and possibly weight loss. These symptoms
may go on to the classic symptoms of temporal arteritis:
- double vision or blurred vision due to narrowing of the main artery to the
eye
- headache in the temple or back of the head
- sensitive, tender scalp
- swollen bumpy arteries in the temple, often lacking a noticeable pulse
- weak or painful jaw muscles - lack of oxygen to the muscles of the jaw
makes chewing, talking, and swallowing very painful
- weight loss
If arteritis is left untreated, it can progress to the following symptoms:
- blind spots
- sudden blindness in one eye
Blindness is the most serious threat in arteritis. Other complications
such as stroke occur very rarely. In a few cases, vision loss is the first symptom
of temporal arteritis. Unfortunately, any damage already done is usually irreversible.
Most people get warning symptoms (called prodromes) that give them time
to take action. Apart from the flu-like prodrome and the headaches, one of the
most common warning signs is polymyalgia rheumatica.
About 15% of people with polymyalgia rheumatica go on to develop temporal arteritis.
Arteritis may appear before, during or after the onset of polymyalgia rheumatica.
The primary symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica are stiffness and pain in the
neck, shoulder, and hip muscles, which is often at its worst in the morning.
There may also be flu-like symptoms.