This week we’re launching our Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) awareness campaign, I Wish I’d Known, with a simple but urgent question: Are you experiencing new or unusual head sensations?
GCA is a medical emergency. It’s a form of vasculitis – inflammation of the blood vessels – that typically affects people over 50. It needs urgent treatment to prevent serious complications, including permanent sight loss. The good news is that GCA is very treatable when caught early, which is exactly why awareness matters so much.
GCA can show up in several ways, and not everyone experiences it the same way. Things to be alert to include:
Signs that shouldn’t be ignored:
- A new type of headache, or head pain that feels different from anything you’ve had before
- Soreness or sensitivity around the scalp, for example, discomfort when brushing your hair, resting your head on a pillow, or wearing glasses
- Discomfort or tiredness in the jaw, particularly when eating
- Any sudden change in your eyesight, from blurring or dimming to brief blackouts or seeing double
- Shoulder and hip stiffness that’s worse first thing in the morning
- A previous diagnosis of PMR (polymyalgia rheumatica)
- Feeling generally unwell – this can include fatigue, low appetite, unplanned weight loss, or sweats during the day or night
If any of this sounds familiar, please don’t wait to see if it improves. Seek urgent medical help today.
Four symptoms worth understanding a little more:
Scalp tenderness happens because inflamed arteries run close to the surface of the scalp, so everyday contact – a hairbrush, a hat, a pillow – can suddenly become uncomfortable in a way it never used to be.
Head pain in GCA is often described as new, unusual, or oddly located compared with headaches someone has had before. It may sit over the temples, but can also be felt elsewhere on the head, and it doesn’t always respond to the painkillers that normally help.
Vision changes are the symptom we worry about most, because they can signal that the blood supply to the eye is under threat. Blurred or dimmed vision, double vision, or brief episodes where sight goes dark are warning signs of impending or actual vision loss, and need same-day emergency assessment.
Jaw discomfort occurs because GCA can reduce blood flow to the muscles used for chewing. This can feel like an ache, tiredness, or tightness that builds up as you eat and eases with rest – sometimes on one side more than the other, sometimes higher up the muscle and often mistaken for a dental issue.
What to do:
If you think you might have GCA, trust your instincts and act quickly. Delays in diagnosis are linked to worse outcomes, including irreversible vision loss. If something feels new or different – particularly around your head, jaw, or vision, and even more so if you already have PMR – please don’t wait to see if it passes. Speak to a GP urgently or go to A&E.
