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Giant cell arteritis presenting with unilateral sixth nerve palsy
  1. Matthew Colquhoun1,
  2. Javier Alegre Abarrategui2,
  3. Muhammad Ibrahim Shahzad1 and
  4. Benjamin Ellis1
  1. 1Rheumatology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
  2. 2Pathology, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Matthew Colquhoun; matthew.colquhoun{at}nhs.net

Abstract

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) usually presents with headache, scalp tenderness and raised inflammatory markers. GCA presenting with a clinically evident cranial nerve palsy is rare and may result in a delayed or missed diagnosis if not suspected. We present the rare case of a woman in her 70s with histologically confirmed GCA presenting with a unilateral sixth nerve palsy, which responded to treatment with high-dose oral prednisolone.

  • Vasculitis
  • Cranial nerves

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Footnotes

  • Twitter @colquhom

  • Contributors MC, JAA and BE were involved in the clinical care of the patient. All authors reviewed the manuscript. MIS performed the literature review. MC wrote the manuscript. The following authors were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content: MC, JAA, BE, MIS. The following authors gave final approval of the manuscript: MC, JAA, BE, MIS.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.