Feature|Articles|September 4, 2026 (Updated: September 4, 2026)

Women's Health: Giant cell arteritis and the sex gap: what every eye care clinician should know

Women are more often affected than men, and the disease manifests differently between the sexes.

GCA previously was called temporal arteritis because the temporal arteries located along the sides of the head can become inflamed. However, other blood vessels, ie, the aorta and aortic branches, also can become inflamed. The term giant cell arteritis is often used because the biopsies of inflamed temporal arteries often show large or giant cells.²