Giant Cell ( Temporal ) Arteritis with Lingual Necrosis A Case Report

Giant cell (temporal) arteritis (GCA) is a granulomatous inflammatory disease affecting particularly large and medium sized arteries. Most cases occurred in the Scandinavian elderly greater than 50-year-old. The American Africans and the oriental have a much lower incidence of GCA. Headache, fever and anemia are common symptoms. Blindness is the most dreaded complication. Reported cases of definite GCA with biopsy among local population are rare. Its association with lingual necrosis as a complication is even less well known. We describe a case of biopsy proven GCA in a 93-year-old man who presented with masticatory claudication and severe temporal headache. Lingual necrosis resulting in partial glossectomy occurred despite of prompt improvement of headache after starting treatment with 40 mg of prednisolone on the second day. ( J Intern Med Taiwan 2006; 17: 118-122 )