But medical information is always changing, and some information given here may be out of date. For regularly updated information on a variety of health topics, please visit familydoctor.org , the AAFP patient education Web site. An article on this topic is available in this issue of AFP . Temporal arteritis is the most common form of giant cell arteritis, a condition in which some arteries become tender and swollen.
Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen through the body.
Temporal arteritis affects the arteries that are above and in front of the ears on both sides of the head. The symptom most common with temporal arteritis is headache. Some patients might feel pain while chewing or may even lose their eyesight. Often, a biopsy of the temporal artery is needed to confirm the diagnosis. For this biopsy, a small piece of the temporal artery is removed and looked at under a microscope.