WARNING: What You MUST Know If You Suffer This Type of Headache

Do you know what Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) is? Before reading this article from the UK, I hadn’t heard of GCA either – but now I won’t forget about it.

The article outlines how Sue Chandler, 65, went blind – quickly – and all thanks to Giant Cell Arteritis. Misdiagnosed for months, Sue thought simple occurrences like achy shoulders and headaches were just the tiredness that went with old-age.

GCA strikes elderly people most often. People who are typically diagnosed with the inflammatory eye-disease are 60-75 and Caucasian (GCA is said to affect people of Scandinavian or Northern European descent). Women are twice as likely to develop GCA than men.

The Signs Overlooked

Here are some of the symptoms Mrs. Chandler suffered while being misdiagnosed by her doctors:

Headaches – sudden or gradual, one or both temples, “of a kind you have not experienced before”).
Tender scalp – especially over the temples, blood vessels feeling or appearing swollen.

Pain in the jaw – while talking or chewing, will affect the tongue as well.
Blurred vision – blurred or temporary loss of vision.
Toothache

What was she diagnosed with? ‘Frozen shoulder’. A trapped nerve. The usual aches and pains of old-age. Until 19 months later.

After over a year-and-a-half of pains, problems, and improper diagnoses, Sue lost vision in her right eye. She had gone completely and irreversibly blind in one eye. “It’s like looking through a very thick, grey net curtain. I can make out some light but not any shapes.”

Completely and Irreversibly Blind

There are roughly 2,400 cases of blindness attributed to Giant Cell Arteritis every year. Diagnosis means means that it is too late. It means some unfortunate person, usually elderly, has gone blind in (at least) one eye. That is only 20% of the cases of GCA diagnosed every year.

Although doctors are still not sure what causes it, GCA – a.k.a temporal arteritis – is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the cells in the walls of arteries, especially those supplying parts of the skull.

This restricts blood flow, which explains the headaches, tenderness of the scalp and jaw pain.But the arteries that supply the optical nerves at the back of the eyes are particularly vulnerable. Once blood is cut off the nerves quickly die and cannot be regenerated.

You can imagine how devastating this would be. Imagine never seeing your children or grandchildren again. GCA is usually caught and treated after one eye loses sight, but that proves too much for most. Not more driving. Difficulty reading. There’s an impact on both the sufferers physical state and mental state, as well as on the family, who now has to take care of someone who was fully able to take care of herself.

Is GCA Preventable?

Once properly diagnosed, Giant Cell Arteritis is managed with medication and the headaches will go away in a short time. If you notice any of the symptoms above, you may be at risk. The sooner you see a doctor and get diagnosed, the sooner you’ll be on a corticosteroid to prevent you from going blind.

Lead a healthy lifestyle: eat healthily, quit smoking, ensure cardiovascular health, and – if it is safe for you – start on one aspirin per day, to reduce the possibility of blood clotting, blindness, and stroke – all associated with GCA.