PARACENTRAL ACUTE MIDDLE MACULOPATHY IN GIANT CELL ARTERITIS

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Rheumatology

Background:

• Paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM) is a condition causing visual disturbances.
• Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a systemic vasculitis affecting medium and large arteries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a case of PAMM as an initial manifestation of GCA.
• To review the literature on the association between PAMM and GCA.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of English-language ophthalmic studies.
• Search terms included PAMM, giant cell arteritis, and temporal arteritis.

Main Results:

• A case of a 72-year-old woman with PAMM as the presenting sign of GCA was detailed.
• 26 cases of PAMM associated with GCA were identified in the literature.
• In 19 of these cases, PAMM was the sole fundus abnormality, detected via multimodal imaging.

Conclusions:

• PAMM can lead to acute paracentral vision loss.
• GCA should be considered in elderly patients presenting with PAMM, irrespective of constitutional symptoms.