Recurrence of Temporal Arteritis

Abstract
TEMPORAL arteritis is thought to be a self-limited disease of several months' to several years' duration, tending to remit spontaneously or as a result of corticosteroid therapy.1-4Previous reports have noted relapses during corticosteroid withdrawal 2 1/2 years after initiation of therapy, and spontaneous reactivations two years after completion of therapy.1,4,5However, frequent relapses unrelated to corticosteroid withdrawal were also noted in one long-term study of patients with temporal arteritis, many of whom ultimately required several years of therapy.5Thus, smoldering subclinical disease and spontaneous reactivations long after initial recovery from the inflammatory process may be seen in temporal arteritis. In this regard, we describe a patient with a clinical recurrence of temporal arteritis nine years after the initial illness. Report of a Case An 83-year-old woman was seen in May 1979 with low-grade fever, extreme lassitude, malaise, 5-kg weight loss, and a new, constant, global headache

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