ABSTRACT
Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) is an autoimmune mediated systemic vasculitis affecting large arteries - the aorta and its branches. It has the highest incidence of all systemic vasculitides and manifests nearly exclusively in patients aged 50 or older. Amongst its non-specific and specific symptoms are headaches, mastication claudication or signs of rheumatic polymyalgia, a relatively common and immediate treatment requiring condition being acute vision loss due to optic ischemia. A GCA diagnosis is based on clinical and paraclinical findings and imaging techniques including PET/CT; with an important role still being played by histological verification from temporal artery biopsy. Treatment is based on immunosuppressive agents - systemic glucocorticoids, with adjunct therapy options being methotrexate and tocilizumab. Currently, there are also several clinical trials examining the efficacy of other modern biological agents in GCA.
Subject(s)
Giant Cell Arteritis , Humans , Giant Cell Arteritis/complications , Giant Cell Arteritis/diagnosis , Giant Cell Arteritis/drug therapy , Methotrexate/therapeutic use , Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography , Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use , Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use , Biological Factors/therapeutic useABSTRACT
Systemic scleroderma (SSc) is a systemic immune-mediated connective tissue disease characterized by fibroproductive changes in connective tissue and microvascular disorders. The disease affects the skin, musculoskeletal system and internal organs. It is a disease with a significant rate of morbidity and mortality, significantly worsening the quality of life of patients. Early initiation of therapy is necessary to prevent disease progression. This review article discusses the current possibilities of early diagnosis of systemic scleroderma.
