key: cord-0721018-3jc6syu6
authors: Riera-Martí, Núria; Romaní, Jorge; Calvet, Joan
title: SARS-CoV-2 infection triggering a giant cell arteritis
date: 2020-12-03
journal: Med Clin (Barc)
DOI: 10.1016/j.medcli.2020.11.005
sha: 6a2ebaaa46da411b46bdfb657359566159e462ed
doc_id: 721018
cord_uid: 3jc6syu6

nan

Introduction Different infectious agents have been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of both classical and self-limited Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA).

On 14th March 2020, a 50-year-old-man without past medical history was assessed through teleconsultation with a dermatologist during the state of alarm due to Covid-19 in Spain. He reported high fever, cough and severe headache with bilateral temporal arteries thickening. No diagnostic tests could be performed at that time. As a non-severe SARS-CoV-2 infection was suspected, and visual or osteomuscular alterations were not reported, we opted for a late referral to specialized care and remote monitoring of the symptoms.

One month later, the patient presented not any more Covid-19 symptoms but reported persistent headache and temporomandibular joint pain. Clinical examination revealed swelling and inflammation of his right temple, where a filiform pulse was noted. A notable improvement from the previous temporal thickening was observed. Our main limitation is the lack of histological confirmation. However, the absence of any biologic abnormality in blood tests could be explained by the fact that biologic tests were performed after the patient presented with symptoms 5 . At the same time, we should take into account that general systemic symptoms, evaluated by telephone triage or similar, might be wrongly attributed to Covid-19, leading to the delayed diagnosis of this rheumatologic condition, which in turn could prompt to an irreversible visual loss, highlighting the severity of indirect morbidity related to Covid-19.

EULAR recommendations for the use of imaging in large vessel vasculitis in clinical practice

Varicella Zoster Virus in Giant Cell Arteritis: A Review of Current Medical Literature

COVID-19 and Kawasaki Disease in Children

Neurologic Complication with CNS Vasculitis-Like Pattern

Diagnosis of giant cell arteritis