[Early and unusual presentation of temporal arteritis. A report of 7 cases (author's transl)].

The authors report 7 cases of temporal arteritis, proved by biopsy, with unusual early symptoms. They emphasize dental extraction as a possible incitant of the disease. Diagnosis is very often overlooked when local symptoms of involvment of temporal arteries are lacking. Various head and neck pain, fever of unexplained origin, weight loss, when associated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate greater than 50 mm, should convince the physician to biopsy the temporal artery of people over the age of 60. Steroid therapy must begin as soon as diagnosis is made.