A patient with Takayasu Arteritis may develop pain in the carotid arteries (carotidynia).
Mechanism: inflammation of the carotid arterial wall
The pain may be unilateral or bilateral.
The pain in the carotid artery:
(1) can be triggered by palpation (or a shirt collar)
(2) can be triggered by swallowing
(3) can be spontaneous
Biopsy of the carotid artery shows arteritis but usually the diagnosis is made by clinical and imaging findings.
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Specialty: Immunology/Rheumatology
