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    Giant Cell Arteritis Patient's Sourcebook
    Giant Cell Arteritis Patient's Sourcebook
    Giant Cell Arteritis Patient's Sourcebook
    Ebook79 pages50 minutes

    Giant Cell Arteritis Patient's Sourcebook

    By Stephen Trutter

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    About this ebook

    Giant cell arteritis (GCA), also called temporal arteritis, is a serious condition where the arteries are inflamed. Although it can affect any artery, it typically affects the arteries in the head, (the temporal artery), the eyes (the optic artery) and the aorta (the artery leading from the heart). If you are suffering from GCA or GCA with polymyalgia (PMR), this book will guide you through your condition and possible treatment options. If you are a caregiver, this book will give you the understanding you need to help your loved one through this difficult time. A caregiver can help a patient in so many positive ways, from accompanying the patient to the doctor (the information overload can be overwhelming) to helping your loved one stay positive through the disease’s course, which is typically about one to three years.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAndale LLC
    Release dateApr 25, 2014
    ISBN9781311788412
    Giant Cell Arteritis Patient's Sourcebook

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      Book preview

      Giant Cell Arteritis Patient's Sourcebook - Stephen Trutter

      Giant Cell Arteritis Patient’s Sourcebook

      Stephen Trutter, MA, Sue Feher MD

      Smashword Edition

      ****

      Copyright 2014 Stephen Trutter, MA, Sue Feher MD

      Cover photo: Valua Vitaly | Fotolio.com

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Contents

      Introduction

      Causes of GCA

      Symptoms

      Diagnosis of GCA

      Treatment for GCA

      Complementary and Alternative Medicine

      Recipe suggestions

      Self Help Groups and-related organizations

      Internet Resources

      References

      Introduction

      Nearly everyone has heard of arthritis, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and other diseases that tend to affect us as we age. Many people prepare for the fact that they will probably be diagnosed with one disease or another as we get older. However, there are rarer, little-known diseases that can affect you as you get older—and giant cell arteritis is one such disorder.

      Giant cell arteritis (GCA), also called temporal arteritis, is a condition where the arteries are inflamed. Although it can affect any artery, it typically affects the arteries in the head, (the temporal artery), the eyes (the optic artery) and the aorta (the artery leading from the heart).

      GCA is not to be confused with arthritis, which means inflammation of the joints. GCA is not only uncommon -- it’s a severe disease that can lead to permanent disability including blindness or stroke.

      The condition causes a painful inflammation in your arteries (due to giant cells forming on the arterial walls) and usually affects medium to large size arteries like the aorta and the arteries in your head. These giant cells can narrow the arteries, cutting off blood supply to parts of your body. The eyes are generally affected first, with some people becoming blind in one eye; Blindness in both eyes is possible, but very rare. If caught early enough, steroid treatment can prevent blindness. The steroids shrink the giant cells so that they don’t narrow the arteries.

      Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) was first written about in 1890 by Hutchinson, who had this to say about one of his patients:

      "He had red streaks on his head which were painful and prevented him wearing his hat....The red streaks proved, on examination, to be his temporal arteries, which were on both sides found to be inflamed and swollen. The streaks extended from the temporal region almost to the middle of the scalp and several branches of each artery could be distinctly traced. The conditions were nearly symmetrical. During the first week that he was under my observation, pulsation was freely detected in the affected vessels, but it finally ceased; the redness then subsided, and the vessels were left impervious cords."

      The red streaks that Hutchinson describes are one common sign of GCA. The streaks are actually the inflamed arteries on the head.

      Sometimes, giant cell arteritis will co-exist with polymyalgia rheumatica. Polymyalgia rheumatica (usually called just PMR) is an inflammatory condition that causes painful muscles (myalgia) in many (poly) parts of the body. About half of GCA patients have PMR, while around 20 percent of PMR patients develop GCA. If you are being treated for GCA, PMR becomes a secondary condition; the steroids used to treat GCA will also alleviate any PMR symptoms.

      It is unclear how or why giant cell arteritis and PMR occur together. However, it is thought by many medical professionals that GCA is just a more aggressive form of PMR. The main reason for this is that the temporal arteries from patients with PMR and GCA both contain similar

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