Invasive aspergillosis. A complication of treatment of temporal arteritis.

Temporal arteritis is a systemic necrotizing vasculitis for which the only effective treatment is systemic corticosteroids. A review of the literature suggests that there is a significant mortality rate in untreated patients but that those patients who receive adequate corticosteroid treatment rarely experience a reduced life expectancy. I had the opportunity to evaluate a patient with temporal arteritis who eventually died from disseminated aspergillosis 6 weeks after beginning corticosteroid treatment. A high index of suspicion for infections with opportunistic organisms should be maintained in patients with temporal arteritis receiving corticosteroids.