Temporal arteriris/gca at 27?

[Shana90]

Hi

I'm a 27 year old female with no major health issues. I do take eyedrops for occular hypertension but no glaucoma diagnose.

For the past month i have been experiencing an almost constant pressure in my left temple region that sometimes radiates to my ear. I don't have any shoulder or jaw pain but my head sometimes feels too heavy for my neck(not painful)

I don't have a fever, a cranial mri is normal, normal blood pressure, normal chest xray with minor pleural effusion. Normal energy level, no fatigue. Bloodwork showed slightly elevated leukocyte count but otherwise normal.

It's hard to describe it as a 'pain' because it's not very painful. More like a medium dull ache that i feel constantly from my upper temple to my ear.

Of course every doctor, nurse, neurologist laughed at the suggestion of temporal arteritis at my age, but i just don't know what else could cause such a long lasting temple ache.

[jinasc]

Yes, it can and does happen and it is rare for it to occur, but it does.

I take it you have a copy of the BSR guidelines, but if not.

So follow this link: pmr-gca-northeast.org.uk/as...

If in the meantime you experience, blurred vision or intermittent loss then off to A&E pronto, even in the middle of the night.

Another way of tackling it, is go to see an Optician right away, Specsavers are good, but all Opticians are trained to spot Giant Cell Arteritis.

Yes, we do know of a 33 year old in Cardiff who had GCA and also a couple of other people in the late 20's early 30's.

Statistics are like Bell Curves, figures fall down on either side..............someone perhaps should tell those medics whom you have seen.

[Ruadh]

Hi Carterqm - this was exactly what happened to me. Only mine was the right side. I went to my GP, he just shrugged. Eventually had an MRA with contrast, not much by way of findings. Ophthalmologist said vaso spasms. Next thing was loosing central vision in the right eye. Now too late to do anything.

Suggest you get a check up with a first class ophtho or preferably a neuro-ophtho. Please do not ignore this, It could be GCA or it could be vaso spasms, but it could also be ... whatever, but summat else. Best to get the Vaso-Doppler as opposed to the invasive temporal biopsy. The vaso-Doppler is a valuable diagnostic protocol, and is also pretty definitive. The biopsy 'can' be somewhat hit and miss, does require a decentsized specimen, like minimum of 3 cm. Mine was only 0.09 cm, so, useless.

I recently suffered a DVT and PE. The extensive vaso-Doppler findings (excellent) they found 30% blocked carotid arteries, both sides, atherosclerosis. Nothing to get too excited about at the moment, but...

Please don't leave it, please get checked out. Hope you are in the UK, they have some darn good medics there, I live in France...Ho-Hum situation. This is not in their ken. Sigh. Go well -

[Shana90 in reply to Ruadh]

Thanks!

I did have my ophthalmologist check my eyes about 2 weeks ago and he didn't see anything. Sometimes i wonder if these 'normal' results are truly normal or if doctors are dismissing small abnormalities due to my age.

I' m based in usa but currently working overseas without the best access to Healthcare but if i must a flight home is 2 hours.

[Ruadh in reply to Shana90]

Hi Shana90 - Good advice and information from Jinasc. IF no expert opinion available where you are, then I would get back to the USA. They have some great eye centres over there, just id them, and get there fast. This is an international group, members will speak up re whom to go and see. I know recommendations for Boulder Colorado and Birmingham Alabama, and New York (through family and friends). That's me limit ! Others will have more extensive knowledge. Take care -

[PMRpro Ambassador]

There are other things that could cause the discomfort you mention - and you have probably found the diagnosis via Dr Gooogle? However, as the others have said, while GCA at your age is unlikely it does happen and there are a couple of things that are very similar to GCA that are found in young patients but I think you would be better asking a rheumatologist - GCA isn't a neurology diagnosis, it is a vasculitis, inflamed blood vessels.

To be honest - what would worry me more is your pleural effusion - has anyone investigated that?

[Insight329]

Hi, Shana90,

I'm so sorry that you are experiencing ill-health. It's frightening, isn't it?

Something you wrote made me go hmmmm.. You said: It's hard to describe it as a 'pain' because it's not very painful. More like a medium dull ache that i feel constantly from my upper temple to my ear.

I have TA/GCA but the headache that I had was debilitating. I called it my KILLER HEADACHE THAT WON'T GO AWAY. Yep, I'm yelling because that's how terrible mine felt - I was frantic to get rid of it and watched the clock closely to see when the next time I could take pain meds. (Nothing helped, of course.) I also had other symptoms of GCA: painful jaw while eating, high blood pressure, blood markers high, etc. However, not knowing about GCA/PMR, I thought I was experiencing a migraine. (I'd never had one before, but I heard that they were painful, thus this must be a migraine.)

My error was not getting the headache checked right away. I spent the weekend on the couch crying and thinking "Do I go to the ER for a headache? No, not for a headache". I now realize that's the wrong answer.

I'm not saying yours can't be TA/GCA; I'm just saying it doesn't sound anything like my experience. However, as we know, these diseases present differently with each of us. But do learn from my mistake, try to get an answer as soon as you can. A prolonged headache means something is needing cared for.

Best wishes in finding your answers!

[Daughters2 in reply to Insight329]

Good advice here. I wish I had been aware of GCA My mum had been to opticians on the Tuesday but nothing found. She was blind by Sunday. Simple blood test even days before ( and 4 visits to the doctor within a few weeks before but we won’t mention that!)would have saved her sight. It is an emergency especially with any blurred vision.

[Shana90]

Yeah i know pain is usually a huge factor. I've heard a couple cases were diagnosis was delayed due to absence of pain

[Shana90]

How does it sound if i wete to take a low dosage of prednisolone since it's available at my local pharmacy?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Shana90]

I doubt a low dose would do much - though one or two to see if it helps wouldn't do any harm. But pred will work for a lot of inflammatory things and just medicating yourself is not a good idea as it could mask what is really going on.

[jinasc]

PMRpro has given good advice. I would never self-medicate, I would just be pushing those medics hard for an answer and refusing to go away until I got one.

[Tillywoods]

Shana90 HI!!!

I just googled GCA in late 20's as I am losing my mind with worry!

I have made 2 posts on here about this reaching out to see if anyone else my age has this condition!

I am 28 years old and was diagnosed with GCA yesterday by the ophthalmologist.

My GP put me on prednisolone immediately when he suspected and sent me to a rheumy as an urgent case.

Please please please if you think it is GCA ask to see a new GP!

I had never even heard of temporal arteritis, in fact i was being treated for trigeminal neuralgia when my GP noticed my symptoms were an exact mirror of GCA.

I really hope you see this and respond as it would be great to talk although i notice this post was made a couple of months ago!