Arteritis Health Dictionary

Inflammation of an artery. Chiefly refers to temporal arteritis (giant cell) from which blindness may develop. Over 60s at risk. Associated with polymyalgia rheumatica.

Symptoms. Frontal headache – single or double-sided. Forehead tender to touch. Red line on forehead may confirm temporal arteritis. Feverishness. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is always high and should be frequently checked in a Haematology laboratory. Steroids may be sight-saving but should only be resorted to until effective phytomedicines are discovered.

Alternatives. Teas. Cactus, Feverfew, Ginkgo, Meadowsweet, Nettles, Parsley, Rutin, Skullcap.

Tea, formula. Combine equal parts: Hawthorn, Ginkgo, Valerian. 1 heaped teaspoon to each cup water gently simmered 5 minutes. Dose: Half-1 cup thrice daily.

Tablets/capsules. Bamboo gum, Ginkgo, Hawthorn, Prickly Ash, Rutavite, Wild Yam.

Practitioner. (1) Liquid extracts: Lily of the Valley 10ml; Hawthorn 15ml; Valerian 5ml. Tincture Capsicum 0.3ml (5 drops). Dose: 15-60 drops in water thrice daily.

(2) Lily of the Valley, tincture BPC 1934: dose 0.3-1.2ml.

(3) Tincture Gelsemium for severe headache.

Diet. See: DIET – HEART AND CIRCULATION. Pineapple juice.

Supplements. B-complex, Vitamin E (500-1000iu daily). Evening Primrose oil, Maxepa, Glanolin. Iodine, Magnesium, Selenium, Zinc. 

Inflammation of an artery wall, causing narrowing or complete blockage of the affected artery, reduced blood flow, and, in some cases, thrombosis and tissue damage. There are several types, including Buerger’s disease, an arteritis that affects the limbs, causing pain, numbness, and, in severe cases, gangrene.

Polyarteritis nodosa, a serious autoimmune disorder, can affect arteries in any part of the body, especially the heart and kidneys.

Temporal arteritis affects arteries in the scalp and may affect the eyes.

A rare type of arteritis is Takayasu’s arteritis, which is thought to be an autoimmune disorder.

This usually affects young women and involves the arteries that branch from the aorta into the neck and arms.

Arteritis means in?ammation of an artery (see ARTERIES, DISEASES OF).

n. an inflammatory disease that affects the muscular walls of the arteries. It may be part of a *connective-tissue disease or it may be due to an infection, such as syphilis. The affected vessels are swollen and tender and may become blocked. Temporal (or giant-cell) arteritis occurs in the elderly and most commonly affects the arteries of the scalp. The patient complains of severe headache, and double vision or scalp tenderness may be present; blindness may result from thrombosis of the arteries to the eyes. Treatment with steroid medication is rapidly effective.