What is the Difference Between Temporal Arteritis and Trigeminal Neuralgia?

Temporal arteritis and trigeminal neuralgia are both conditions that can cause headaches, but they have distinct differences:

Temporal Arteritis:

Also known as giant cell arteritis, it is an inflammatory condition that affects the temporal arteries, which supply blood to the head and brain.
Mainly occurs in people aged over 50 years.
Inflammation happens in the temporal artery.
The main difference is that temporal arteritis patients will complain of head/facial pain, but it is not one-sided.

Trigeminal Neuralgia:

A chronic pain disorder that affects the trigeminal nerve, which is responsible for sensation in the face.
Affects both younger and older patients, but rarely seen below the age of 40.
Caused by compression or inflammation of the trigeminal nerve.
Trigeminal neuralgia patients will complain of one-sided pain.

The key difference between temporal arteritis and trigeminal neuralgia is that temporal arteritis affects the temporal arteries, while trigeminal neuralgia affects the trigeminal nerve.

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What is the Difference Between Temporal Arteritis and Trigeminal Neuralgia?

Comparative Table: Temporal Arteritis vs Trigeminal Neuralgia

Here is a table comparing Temporal Arteritis and Trigeminal Neuralgia:

Feature	Temporal Arteritis	Trigeminal Neuralgia
Definition	Inflammation of the temporal arteries, which supply blood to the head and brain	A chronic pain disorder affecting the trigeminal nerve
Nature of Pain	Headache, mainly in the temporal and occipital regions	Sudden, excruciating pain, similar to electric shock, piercing, shooting, sharp, or 'knife-like'
Location	Temporal or occipital region	Teeth, lower or upper jaw, cheek, and less commonly forehead or eye
Frequency	Varies	Usually lasts a few seconds, may occur as episodes of pain lasting regularly for days, weeks, or months at a time
Severity	Severe	Severe
Associated Symptoms	Permanent blindness, jaw or tongue claudication, ischemic complications, weight loss, diplopia, scalp tenderness, half develop polymyalgia rheumatica	None
Triggers/Relief	None	Facial motor movements, brushing teeth, washing face, light touch, shaving, putting on makeup, swallowing, kissing, cool breeze, air conditioning, head movements, vibration from walking or a car journey
Causes	Inflammation, possibly initiated by exposure to an exogenous antigen	Trigeminal nerve compression from a nearby blood vessel

Temporal Arteritis and Trigeminal Neuralgia are both inflammatory conditions affecting different parts of the head and face. Temporal Arteritis is characterized by headaches in the temporal and occipital regions, while Trigeminal Neuralgia is characterized by sudden, excruciating pain in the distribution of the trigeminal nerve.

Guilherme Mazui

Guilherme Mazui is graduated in journalism from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a master's degree in Communication from the University of São Paulo (USP). In addition, he has experience in advertising writing and has worked as a content editor in several companies.