title: [Multi-infarct dementia in giant cell arteritis (temporal arteritis)].
abstract: Dementia is an infrequent and little known manifestation of giant cell arteritis or temporal arteritis (GCA-TA). The cases of 2 women with histologically proven GCA-TA are presented in which, together with the most classical symptoms, they presented a brusque mental deterioration on initiation of the disease. One patient developed a severe irreversible dementia which coincided with a rapid reduction in the doses of corticoids; while the other patient demonstrated improvement in cognitive function with steroid treatment and control of the disease. Magnetic resonance studies revealed multiple areas of infarction in both hemispheres in the two patients. The importance of treating multi-infarct dementia is underlined in the context of GCA-TA with high doses of corticoids. It is also emphasized that GCA-TA should be considered in the evaluation of older patients with mental alterations.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario Virgen de Valme, Sevilla.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gamboa
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Iriarte
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: García-Bragado
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rivera
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Galán
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Friera
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015161:Dementia, Multi-Infarct / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans
vernacular_title: Demencia multiinfarto en la arteritis de células gigantes (arteritis de la temporal).