Pachymeningitis, aortitis and nephritis simulating temporal arteritis

Abstract

The case of a 65-year-old man with a clinical picture of headache and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate in whom giant cell arteritis (GCA) was suspected, but that during the diagnostic process was documented as pachymeningitis, hyperproteinorrachia and temporal artery biopsy reported as normal, is presented. The search for other systemic diseases that could explain the clinical picture also revealed the presence of aortitis, glomerulonephritis and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), and allowed to make the diagnosis of granulomatosis with poliangeítis (GPA). The analysis and diagnostic approach of this unusual association of pachymeningitis, aortitis and glomerulonephritis is reported