Temporal arteritis with normal erythrocyte sedimentation rates presenting as occipital neuralgia

✍ Scribed by Jeffrey W. Jundt; David Mock

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 284 KB
• Volume: 34
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-3591
• DOI: 10.1002/art.1780340214

✦ Synopsis

A retrospective review of 46 patients with biopsy-proven giant cell (temporal) arteritis revealed 8 (17%) whose initial presentation was occipital pain. The most likely etiology of occipital pain in these patients was occipital artery inflammation. A Westergren erythrocyte sedimentation rate less than 40 mm/hour was noted at presentation in 6 of these 8 patients. Giant cell arteritis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of elderly patients who present with occipital pain and demonstrate a normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate.