Arteritis is inflammation of the walls of arteries, usually as a result of infection or auto-immune response.
Temporal arteritis, also called giant cell arteritis, is specifically arteritis of the vessels supplying the head, eyes and optic nerves, particularly the temporal artery . It can cause obstruction of blood flow to the optic nerve which can cause vision loss. It may also progress to other parts of the body. Symptoms include headache, vision problems, sensitivity in the head and fatigue. This condition is rare in people under the age of 50. It is four times as common in women as in men. Treatment generally involves steroids to reduce the inflammation.