Psychiatric aspects of temporal arteritis: a case report and review of the literature

Temporal arteritis may present with atypical manifestations that can hamper its diagnosis. We report a case presenting with predominantly psychiatric symptoms including psychotic features and affective symptoms both on a background of cognitive impairment. Such clear-cut psychotic symptoms have not been described previously in the literature. Corticosteroid treatment was followed by full remission of psychotic and affective symptoms; treatment with antipsychotic medication was unnecessary. Temporal arteritis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of psychosis and affective disorder in the elderly. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate is a valuable parameter in the assessment of old-age psychiatry patients presenting both with functional and neurologic disorders.