Giant cell arteritis with spontaneous remission.
BACKGROUND
Clinical manifestations of giant cell arteritis (GCA) are variable. Whether signs and symptoms present in an explosive fashion or insidiously, once manifest the course is usually progressive unless treatment is initiated.


METHODS
A retrospective review of patients with GCA seen in an outpatient neuro-ophthalmology clinic.


RESULTS
We report four patients with biopsy-proven GCA who experienced spontaneous remission. Clinical manifestations consisted of headache and diplopia in two patients, constitutional symptoms in one patient and facial pain in another.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinicians should be aware of this aspect of the disease in order to avoid a delay in diagnosis and treatment.
Purvin
Valerie
V
Midwest Eye Institute, and Indiana University Medical Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Indianapolis, Indiana 46280, USA. vpurvin@iupui.edu
Kawasaki
Aki
A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D004172:Diplopia / Q000209:etiology; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013699:Temporal Arteries / Q000473:pathology