*3.2.1 Arterial thrombotic complications in GCA*

Most common clinical features in GCA patients are the ischemic symptoms: headache, jaw claudication and visual symptoms. If not promptly treated, GCA can lead to systemic complications: aortic aneurysm and rupture, and to ischemic complications of GCA: myocardial infarction, stroke, and blindness. Patients with GCA are experiencing these syndromes due the progressive vessel stenosis/occlusion of the affected arteries, secondary to vascular damage and IH. Several pathogenic mechanisms could explain the increased risk of thromboembolic complications in patients with GCA, including immune and vascular cell aging [89], stasis, endothelial dysfunction, hypercoagulability, and decreased fibrinolysis, the features of inflammatory-derived thrombosis.
