Temporal Arteritis Presenting as Anterior Tongue Necrosis: A Case Presentation

Temporal Arteritis is the most common vasculitis affecting older individuals and presents in multiple different ways, most commonly with symptoms such as fever, headache, scalp tenderness, jaw claudication, and acute change in vision. One known but infrequently reported complication of temporal arteritis is tongue claudication, ischemia and necrosis. This is rarely seen because of the robust and bilateral vascular supply to the tongue musculature. The following case of temporal arteritis presenting as tongue necrosis is reported to highlight the clinical presentation of temporal arteritis with primary tongue involvement. The patient in this case lost a large portion of the anterior tongue as a result of the disease, causing significant dysarthria, dysphagia, and necessitating gastric tube feedings, an outcome which may potentially be preventable in other patients with early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.