Temporal arteritis and trigeminal neuralgia are both uncommon causes of headaches, and the combination is much more unusual. At the age of 60, the patient was diagnosed with temporal arteritis and presented with trigeminal neuralgia after the sedimentation rate had returned to normal under therapy. If your doctor suspects that you may have this disease, a blood test will be done to check for elevated levels of protein in the urine. This indicates that you have glomerulonephritis. The only way to confirm the diagnosis is through biopsy of the kidney. The best course of action is to start treatment as soon as possible. That means taking aspirin daily and putting you on immunosuppressive drugs such as prednisone or cyclophosphamide. These medications reduce the body's response to the inflammation and can help control the symptoms of both diseases. Trigeminal neuralgia is pain in the face caused by damage to the nerves supplying the face. It is usually brought on by sudden changes in temperature or stress to the head and neck. The most common cause of trigeminal neuralgia is atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. This condition affects the arteries that supply blood to the skull behind the eyes. As these arteries harden over time, they can press against the nerve roots causing them to signal the brain inappropriately. This type of neuralgia cannot be cured but can be controlled with medication.