Complications, Risk Factors, And Causes Of Temporal Arteritis

Blindness

The temporal arteries branch off into some of the arteries that supply the eyes with blood. As such, temporal arteritis can affect those arteries as well. When this happens, blindness in one or both eyes can occur. Sadly, the vision impairment associated with temporal arteritis is usually severe and non-reversible. If only one eye is affected at first, steroid treatment is usually able to reduce or completely prevent damage in the other eye. The goal would be to see a doctor at the first sign of temporal arteritis so any severe complications can be avoided. In more recent years, treatments have been developed that help some patients recover from vision loss, but the outlook is not good. Of course, by better understanding the symptoms of the disease, one is better able to prevent this scary complication from taking place.

Read more about the causes, risk factors, and complications of temporal arteritis now.

Stroke

A stroke can be a complication of temporal arteritis. A stroke happens when the brain is deprived of blood flow and oxygen, which results in cellular death. The type of stroke that occurs in individuals with temporal arteritis typically occurs in the vertebrobasilar region or the back of the brain. There are different types of strokes, but temporal arteritis affected individuals experience ischemic strokes. This type of stroke is caused by a blockage of some sort in the flow of blood to the brain. Ischemic strokes in such cases are thrombotic in nature or occur due to a blockage native to the blood vessel of which it obstructs. A stroke is an uncommon manifestation of temporal arteritis. A stroke can occur because the blood vessels in the brain affected by temporal arteritis become narrowed and swollen due to inflammation. This swelling can become so severe that it obstructs the flow of blood to certain parts of the brain, depriving those cells of vital nutrients and oxygen. The cells begin to shut down and die, which causes the affected individual to experience the classic symptoms of a stroke.

Uncover more details on risk factors related to temporal arteritis now.