What Is Arteritis And What Are Its Symptoms?

Arteritis is an inflammation of medium and large vessels. Today we will study it in depth and discover what symptoms it presents.

The arteritis  is an inflammation that affects the vessels of medium and large. Its main consequence is that it causes a narrowing of the arteries, thus preventing blood from flowing easily. Typically, arteritis affects people over the age of 50 and its causes are not defined. The hypothesis of genetic predisposition is being considered.

Temporal arteritis

This type of arteritis is also known as temporal arteritis. In some cases, it is even called cranial arteritis. Its main characteristic is that the inflammation affects the vessels of the scalp, neck and arms. Therefore, it will be in these areas of the body where the first symptoms will appear.

It is important to mention that diagnosing this disorder is not usually easy. The reasons are that the symptoms that people who suffer from it tend to be confused with others that refer to much less serious problems.

Early diagnosis of arteritis can prevent health problems that are much more dangerous  and that can significantly affect the health and well-being of the person suffering from it. Some of its possible complications are:

• Damage to other blood vessels in the body.
• Development of aneurysms.
• Stroke
• Risk of stroke.

Symptoms of arteritis

Now that we know a little more about this disorder, let’s address the symptoms to look out for. Some of them, as we already mentioned, can be confused with other types of milder problems. However, when in doubt, it is better to go to the doctor to check that everything is fine.

Pain

The main symptom of arteritis is pain. This is going to be present in different ways. Sometimes it may just be a slight annoyance. In others, we may notice a slight sensitivity. However, these can be subtle warnings of the beginning of this disease.

• Pain in the head : because arteritis damages the vessels of the scalp, pain in the head can appear. Typically strong and persistent, it affects the temple area.
• Scalp sensitivity : we may feel slight discomfort or pain when pressing on the scalp area. This can make us think that we have it sensitive, however, it can be a symptom of arteritis. We must pay attention to whether it is accompanied by the previous headache.

• Jaw pain : when yawning, talking or chewing some type of food, even if it is soft, you may feel a slight pain. If we suffer from bruxism we can confuse it with this unconscious habit.

Sometimes, along with these symptoms, fever can appear. This can make us suspect that we have a beginning of the flu, which may not be the case. In any case, we must go to our doctor.

Fatigue

Fatigue is another of the symptoms of arteritis that can go completely unnoticed. We may associate it with an excess of physical exercise, a period of too much stress or even a change of season. However, we must pay attention to whether, in addition to fatigue, we have suffered some weight loss for no apparent reason that can lead to anemia. These two symptoms, fatigue and weight loss, can occur individually.

Loss of vision

Loss of vision is one of the most significant symptoms of arteritis. This can occur in just one eye or in both. However, before the loss of vision is complete there are some symptoms that will alert us:

• Vision problems such as diplopia.
• Paralysis of the eyes.
• Weakness of the muscles of the eyes.

In the event of any symptoms, no matter how mild, the doctor will carry out the pertinent tests to detect possible inflammation that may indicate that there is arteritis.  It is necessary to emphasize the importance of an early diagnosis to put an end to this disorder. In the case of not going to the doctor as soon as possible and seeing how the symptoms are evolving, one can risk losing vision completely or suffering a stroke.

Arteritis: final comments

In conclusion, arteritis is a pathology that affects the blood vessels of middle-aged people. In addition, it is complex to diagnose, and can be confused with other diseases. Therefore, we recommend you go to the doctor for its correct diagnosis and treatment. Finally, we recommend maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly to avoid further complications.