Autoimmune thyroid disease and giant cell arteritis: a review, case report and epidemiological study

A 75-year-old man with the simultaneous onset of Graves' disease and giant cell arteritis is described. Although there have been few previous reports of simultaneous onset, literature review and a retrospective study of the records of this hospital suggest that the association of Graves' disease and the polymyalgia rheumatica-giant cell arteritis syndrome is not simple coincidence. The patient's course was complicated by cerebral infarction secondary to either arterial thrombo-embolism or arteritis.