Clinicopathological case: headache and systemic inflammatory illness—Occam vs Hickam

An unusual case of giant cell arteritis

A 73-year-old man presented with unsteadiness and general malaise and later had problems with cognition. This was initially diagnosed as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, but he was later found to have giant cell arteritis. Neurologists and physicians should be aware that giant cell arteritis can present with encephalopathy rather than the more typical features of headache, jaw pain and visual disturbance.