Tipic syndrome and amaurosis fugax in a patient with giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica

TIPIC Syndrome (Transient perivascular inflammation of the carotid artery) is a rare idiopathic neck pain syndrome, which characterized by unilateral pain in the region of the carotid bifurcation. We present the case of a 60-year-old patientwith Giant cell arteritis and Polymialgia Rheumatica who had a retinal transient ischemic attack, complaining of a rare simptom such as carotidynia, among others. TIPIC Syndrome has been reported in 7% 1of Giant cell arteritis cases. TIPIC syndrome is a diagnosis of exclusion, and the following diagnoses should be excluded: aterothrombosis, fibromuscular dysplasia, aneurysm, dissection, lymphadenitis, submandibular gland disease, and neck cancer. Stroke is uncommon in Giant cell arteritis, but transient retinal ischemic attacks occur often in this entity2. Neurologists should always consider Giant cell arteritis in the differential diagnosis of a new-onset severe headache in patients ≥ 50 years-old with an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ERS).