Many people are not familiar with temporal arteritis/arthritis. Also known as giant cell arteritis, temporal arteritis/arthritis is an inflammatory disease of the medium and large arteries which run along the head. These arteries bring the blood supply to the scalp. Young people are not usually diagnosed with temporal arteritis/arthritis and it is usually found in people over 50 - women being twice as likely as men to suffer.  As with other forms of arthritis, the cause of temporal arteritis/arthritis is unknown. However, it is thought to be brought about by a disorder in the body’s immune system.

A sign of temporal arteritis/arthritis can include sudden pain which usually occurs around the temple area of the head. This is a sign that the blood vessels are swollen. This swelling can affect blood supply to the eye and blurred vision or even sudden blindness can occur. You may also run a low fever if you have temporal arteritis/arthritis. Other symptoms of temporal arteritis/arthritis can include jaw claudication (pain when chewing or talking), headaches, shaking, sweating, weight loss, tiredness, and loss of appetite. You may also become anemic and have joint stiffness.

If you experience any of these symptoms, you should immediately see a doctor. Your doctor will order blood tests and a biopsy. The biopsy involves taking a small sample of the inflamed artery for analysis to view for abnormal cells infiltrating the tissue. This is necessary for a diagnosis of temporal arteritis/arthritis. If left untreated the condition can lead to anterior ischemic optic neuropathy - a medical condition involving loss of vision due to an insufficient blood supply to the optic nerve. It's estimated that 8000 Americans suffer from AION every year.

If you do have temporal arteritis/arthritis, your doctor will prescribe a corticosteroid drug to help reduce inflammation. Corticosteroids are a class of steroid hormones produced in the adrenal cortex and along with involvement with stress responses, metabolism and behavioural functions corticosteroids also regulate inflammation. Finding a synthetic drug to mirror the effects of corticosteroids is the best way to treat temporal arteritis/arthritis as it is inflammation of arteries that can lead to blindness.