La Revue de médecine interne
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Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a large-vessel vasculitis that mainly affects women over fifty. GCA usually involves branches from the external carotid arteries, causing symptoms such as headaches, scalp tenderness, and jaw claudication. The most severe complication is ophthalmologic involvement, including acute anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and, less frequently, central retinal artery occlusion with a risk of permanent blindness. ⋯ General practitioners play a crucial role in early diagnosis, directing patients to specialized centres, and in managing ongoing treatment in collaboration with specialists. This collaboration is essential to address potential long-term complications such as cardiovascular events. They can occur five to ten years after the diagnosis of GCA even when the disease is no longer active, meaning that vigilant follow-up is required due to the patients' age and status.
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Cogan's syndrome is a condition of unknown origin, classified as a systemic vasculitis. It is characterised by a predilection for the cornea and the inner ear. It mainly affects Caucasian individuals with a sex-ratio close to one. ⋯ Therapeutic management of Cogan's syndrome, given its rarity, lacks consensus since no prospective randomised studies have been conducted to date. Corticosteroid therapy is the first-line treatment. Combination with anti-TNF therapy should be promptly discussed.
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Fever is a cosmopolit zoonosis due to Coxiella burnetii. The diagnosis of chronic Q fever can be really misleading. The growth of this bacterium is difficult and blood cultures are often negatives. ⋯ Chronic Q fever and mostly osteoarticular diseases are difficult to diagnose. We have to evoke the diagnosis of osteoarticular chronic Q fever in case of insidious inflammatory syndrome, negatives blood cultures spondylodiscitis especially when associated to endocarditis or vascular infection, and in case of spondylodiscitis with a granulomatous histology without Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although there are many complementary tests (PET scanner, PCR), serology remains the cornerstone of diagnosis.