By the way, doctor: Why did my doctor prescribe steroids?
In temporal arteritis, cells of the immune system attack arteries in your head (including your brain). This attack causes pain and sometimes redness and swelling around the temporal arteries, which lie beneath the skin just above and to the side of your eyes. Treatment with corticosteroids reliably reduces the pain and swelling of the temporal arteries. It may prevent a more serious symptom — sudden blindness — that comes from the immune system attacking arteries deeper inside the head.
To continue reading this article, you must log in.
Subscribe to Harvard Health Online Plus (HHO+) to unlock expert-backed health insights, personalized tools, and exclusive resources to feel your best every day.
Here’s what you get with your HHO+ membership:
- Unlimited access to all Harvard Health Online content
- 4 expertly curated newsletters delivered monthly
- Customized website experience aligned to your health goals
- In-depth health guides on topics like sleep, exercise, and more
- Interactive features like videos and quizzes
- Members-only access to exclusive articles and resources
I’d like to subscribe to HHO+ for $4.99/month to access expert-backed content to help make smart, informed decisions about my well-being.
Sign Me UpAlready a member? Login ».
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.