TEMPORAL ARTERITIS SYMPTOMS IN A PATIENT WITH HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-ASSOCIATED TYPE-II CRYOGLOBULINEMIA AND SMALL VESSEL VASCULITIS

We describe temporal artery localization of hepatitic C virus related cryoglobulin induced vasculitis in a 66-year-old woman. The patient ha d features of both cryoglobulin induced vasculitis (palpable purpura, arthralgia, hypocomplementemia, no inflammatory syndrome) and temporal arteritis (recent onset of headaches, jaw claudication). In the tempo ral artery biopsy, the vasculitis was localized to a small adventitial artery and did not involve the superficial temporal artery. Thus temp oral arteritis and jaw claudication can be signs of cryoglobulin induc ed vasculitis.