What Is Giant Cell Arteritis?
7. Early intervention
Prolonged inflammations can cause serious harm to the body. When it comes to inflammation of blood vessels, it means poor delivery of blood to various tissues and organs. When there is an extended deprivation of sufficient oxygen and nutrients, cell damage can be irreversible. GCA patients that fail to get diagnosed in good time will often suffer problems such as permanent vision loss.
Steroid therapy is often the standard treatment for GCA. Because early treatment is so important, steroids may be prescribed even before a full diagnosis is achieved. This means patients may be prescribed steroid meds awaiting the results of biopsies. This is considered less risky than allowing the condition to carry on unabated while potentially causing permanent eye damage.
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