Temporal arteritis symptoms in a patient with hepatitis C virus associated type II cryoglobulinemia and small vessel vasculitis.

We describe temporal artery localization of hepatitic C virus related cryoglobulin induced vasculitis in a 66-year-old woman. The patient had features of both cryoglobulin induced vasculitis (palpable purpura, arthralgia, hypocomplementemia, no inflammatory syndrome) and temporal arteritis (recent onset of headaches, jaw claudication). In the temporal artery biopsy, the vasculitis was localized to a small adventitial artery and did not involve the superficial temporal artery. Thus temporal arteritis and jaw claudication can be signs of cryoglobulin induced vasculitis.