title: Temporal arteritis with normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
abstract: The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is used to differentiate temporal arteritis from other forms of headache in the elderly. Though temporal arteritis can occur with a normal ESR, this is not generally appreciated in primary care. The case reported here is a 74-year-old woman with biopsy-proven temporal arteritis; her ESR was 22 mm/hr. Of note, her hematocrit was more than 40 percent, a condition previously reported to be associated with temporal arteritis and a normal ESR. This discussion focuses on the diagnosis of temporal arteritis and its associated symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Family Medicine, UC San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California 92093-0807.
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Ganiats
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D005260:Female; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D006400:Hematocrit; D006801:Humans; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D011241:Prednisone