You may hear someone complain of being diagnosed with
templar arthritis and have wondered how this is possible.
After all, the only joint in the temple itself is the fused
type composed of skull bones. Most likely, this person is
complaining of a condition called "temporal arthritis"
which affects blood vessels, not the bones and joints. The
other possibility is that their arthritis may have affected
the TMJ or temporal-mandibular joint. These are very
different conditions and have different treatments and
symptoms.
True templar arthritis would better be called temporal
arthritis or most likely TMJ arthritis. The TMJ is where
the large lower jaw attaches to the skull with a hinge-like
joint. The main symptom would be jaw pain and evidence on
x-rays of degenerative changes in that joint. TMJ syndrome
can also exist with pain but no degenerative changes. This
is treated with surgery or dental appliances, physical
therapy, analgesics and sometimes anti-inflammatory drugs.
With TMJ arthritis, the type of arthritis needs to be
diagnosed to arrive at a treatment plan. TMJ arthritis can
result from infection, injury or a systemic arthritic
process.
Temporal arthritis (TA) is a more serious condition because
it can progress to vision loss in some cases. Some estimate
as many as half of TA patients will have vision loss
eventually. The condition is also called giant cell
arthritis from the appearance of the cells that infiltrate
the walls of medium sized blood vessels throughout the
circulatory system. The temporal artery is such a vessel
and in TA it and surrounding vessels become swollen and
very painful. Headache is the most common symptom, but
there can also be symptoms such as low grade fever,
claudication of the jaw, and even signs of meningitis.
TA is four to six times more common in women that in men
and more common in Caucasians than in other races. It also
occurs more often in colder climates. Along with pain and
the high risk of vision loss is the associated risk of
aneurysms elsewhere in the body. People with TA have 17
times the risk of chest aneurysms and double the risk of
abdominal aneurysms. This condition is normally seen after
the age of 50 with the average age of onset being closer to
70 years old.
Treatment is usually successful if started as soon as
possible and consists of the use of steroids such as
prednisone or Medrol or immune suppressants like
azathioprine and methotrexate. Maintenance therapy is
usually needed for at least a year or two. For some reason,
the condition usually goes away after a couple of years.
Prompt treatment relieves the pain and helps to prevent
blindness.
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For more information on arthritis and the many treatments,
go to:
http://www.arthritiscures.us/ .
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