PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) remains a potentially blinding inflammatory vasculitis of the elderly. Because prolonged doses of corticosteroids remain the best established treatment, side-effects during treatment are common and potentially serious. This review addresses the challenges clinicians face in managing this disease. RECENT FINDINGS: High-dose corticosteroids with slow tapering and close monitoring are the mainstay of treatment. Investigations into adjunctive treatment have yet to establish other agents as beneficial, but further research is ongoing with some promising results. SUMMARY: GCA represents a challenging illness to clinicians because of its potential for causing blindness and the need for prolonged high doses of corticosteroids with their many complications.
