Case of the Week: Headache and Jaw Pain in an Elderly Patient

The Case of the Week series features a different article from Clinical Cases and Images each week:

A 75-year-old African American female started to complain of occasional jaw pain 4 months ago. She also began complaining of headache 3 weeks ago.

Physical examination

HEENT: NC/AT, temporal arteries palpable, slightly painful on the right.


Outline of side of face, showing the main surface markings. The superficial temporal artery is visible at center, to the left of the ear. Image source: Gray's Anatomy, public domain.

What is the most likely cause of this patient's symptoms?

Tension headache.
Headache due to cervical spondylosis.
Headache due to TMJ dysfunction.
Temporal arteritis.

Read the rest of the case here: Giant Cell Arteritis Presenting with Headache and Jaw Pain from Clinical Cases and Images.

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References:
Starting "Case of the Week" Series in Response to Reader Requests. Clinical Cases and Images - Blog, Nov 2008.
Clinical Cases and Images: About Us.
Complete List of Medical Abbreviations and Acronyms.