TITLE:
Cricopharyngeal Muscle Weakness Secondary to Giant Cell Arteritis: A Rare GCA Mimic Presentation Not to Be Missed
AUTHORS:
Nada Elsheikh, Alwin Sebastian
KEYWORDS:
Giant Cell Arteritis, Dysphagia, Dysphonia, Dysarthria
JOURNAL NAME:
Case Reports in Clinical Medicine,
Vol.15 No.10,
October
23,
2026
ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) is a systemic granulomatous vasculitis involving medium and large vessels. It has a predilection for older adults aged ≥ 50 years, who usually present with temporal headache, scalp tenderness, jaw claudication, and constitutional symptoms. However, the presented case of GCA had symptoms of dysphagia and dysphonia initially diagnosed as atypical myositis. PRESENTATION of CASE: A 77-year-old man who initially presented with dysphagia and dysphonia. Videofluoroscopy showed cricopharyngeal muscle weakness. A right thigh muscle biopsy showed focal endomysial lymphocytic infiltration with myoinvasion reflective of myositis. As a result, he was treated for atypical myositis. He later presented after two years with dysarthria and dysphagia. The initial clinical suspicion was possible cerebral ischemia. MRI/MRA of the brain: suspected cerebral vasculitis. Eventually, a temporal artery biopsy confirmed findings consistent with GCA. DISCUSSION: Our patient has presented with uncommon GCA signs of dysphagia and dysphonia, leading to the initial diagnosis of atypical myositis. This indicates the disease’s heterogeneous nature and broad clinical spectrum. CONCLUSION: GCA presentation is protean, and clinicians must be aware of atypical presentations to ensure timely diagnosis and treatment, preventing severe complications that can lead to irreversible outcomes.