Giant Cell Arteritis Mimicking Polymyalgia Rheumatica: A Challenging Diagnosis

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the middle and large arteries. Rural areas have many older patients with various symptoms, so large-vessel-type GCA should be managed effectively. Older patients tend to show vague symptoms that cannot be adequately diag...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2022-07, Vol.14 (7)
Main Authors: Ohta, Ryuichi, Okayasu, Tatsuhiko, Katagiri, Noritaka, Yamane, Takafumi, Obata, Minami, Sano, Chiaki
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Allergy/Immunology
Antibodies
Antigens
Blood tests
Case reports
Collaboration
Coronary vessels
Family/General Practice
Fever
Hepatitis C
Hospitals
Immunosuppressive agents
Inflammation
Medical diagnosis
Patients
Physicians
Primary care
Proteins
Rheumatology
Rural areas
Rural health care
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Steroids
Ultrasonic imaging
Vein & artery diseases
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Summary:Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the middle and large arteries. Rural areas have many older patients with various symptoms, so large-vessel-type GCA should be managed effectively. Older patients tend to show vague symptoms that cannot be adequately diagnosed and observed. Here, we have encountered a case of a 91-year-old woman with a chief complaint of fatigue diagnosed with large-vessel type GCA in collaboration with a rural clinic. Effective collaboration between physicians in rural hospitals and clinics is necessary for diagnosing and treating large-vessel GCA. In rural areas, without adequate healthcare professionals, physicians should share their abilities and collaborate smoothly to mitigate delays in consultation and treatment. To effectively treat large vessel-type GCA, rural general physicians should be familiar with the clinical course of the disease and treatment for rural comprehensive care.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.27517