How do you diagnose temporal arteritis?
Doctors from a number of specialties develop experience in diagnosing and treating temporal arteritis. These include internists, who treat a broad range of diseases; rheumatologists, who focus on rheumatic diseases; geriatricians, who treat older people; ophthalmologists, who treat eye and vision disorders; neurologists, who treat headaches and problems of the optic nerve; and vascular surgeons, who treat blood vessel problems. The doctor will generally take a medical history first. The patient can help the doctor tremendously by reviewing all symptoms–both major and minor–from the last two or three months. If possible, the patient should ask family or close friends for help in recalling his/her ailments from recent months. Then the doctor will conduct a complete physical examination. Often, he or she will detect a tender, swollen artery on the scalp. The doctor will order blood tests as well. A standard and inexpensive test called the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR or “sed” rat
