<unk>  is considered a medical emergency due to the potential of irreversible vision loss. Corticosteroids, typically high-dose prednisone (1 mg/kg/day), should be started as soon as the diagnosis is suspected (even before the diagnosis is confirmed by biopsy) to prevent irreversible blindness secondary to ophthalmic artery occlusion. Steroids do not prevent the diagnosis from later being confirmed by biopsy, although certain changes in the histology may be observed towards the end of the first week of treatment and are more difficult to identify after a couple of months. The dose of corticosteroids is generally slowly tapered over 12–18 months. Oral steroids are at least as effective as intravenous steroids, except in the treatment of acute visual loss where intravenous steroids appear to offer significant benefit over oral steroids. Short-term side effects of prednisone are uncommon but can include mood changes, avascular necrosis, and an increased risk of infection. Some of the side effects associated with long-term use include weight gain, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, avascular necrosis, glaucoma, cataracts, cardiovascular disease, and an increased risk of infection. It is unclear whether adding a small amount of aspirin is beneficial or not as it has not been studied. Injections of tocilizumab may also be used. Tocilizumab is a humanized antibody that targets the interleukin-6 receptor, which is a key cytokine involved in the progression of<unk> . Tocilizumab has been found to be effective at minimizing both recurrence, and flares of<unk>  when used both on its own and with corticosteroids. Long term use of tocilizumab requires further investigation. Tocilizumab may increase the risk of gastrointestinal perforation and infections, however it does not appear that there are more risks than using corticosteroids.
Giant cell arteritis
AL amyloidosis
Takayasu's arteritis
Stroke
Lupus headache
Medication overuse headache
Myofascial pain syndrome
Cluster headache