Editing Arteritis (section)

==Treatment==

===Medications===
The first-line treatment for arteritis is oral glucocorticoid (steroid) medication, such as prednisone, taken daily for a period of three months.<ref name="pmid7909656"/> After this initial phase, the medication may be reduced in dose or frequency, e.g. every other day, if possible.<ref name="pmid7909656"/> If the disease worsens with the new treatment schedule, a cytotoxic medication may be given, in addition to the glucocorticoid.<ref name="pmid7909656"/> Commonly used cytotoxic agents include azathioprine, methotrexate, or cyclophosphamide.<ref name="pmid7909656"/> The dose of glucocorticoid medication may be decreased if response to treatment is good.<ref name="pmid7909656"/> This medication may be reduced gradually once the disease becomes inactive, slowly tapering the dose (to allow the body time to adjust) until the medication may be stopped completely.<ref name="pmid7909656"/> Conversely, if the disease remains active, the medication will need to be increased.<ref name="pmid7909656"/> After six months, if the medication cannot be reduced in frequency to alternate days, or if in 12 months the medications cannot be stopped completely, then treatment is deemed to have failed.<ref name="pmid7909656"/>

Pulsed therapy is an alternative method of administering the medications above, using much higher doses over a short period of time (a pulse), to reduce the inflammation within the arteries.  Methylprednisolone, a glucocorticoid, is often used for pulse therapy; cyclophosphamide is an alternative. This method has been shown to be successful for some patients.<ref>{{Cite journal | pmid = 10852275| year = 2000| last1 = Chevalet| first1 = P| title = A randomized, multicenter, controlled trial using intravenous pulses of methylprednisolone in the initial treatment of simple forms of giant cell arteritis: A one year follow-up study of 164 patients| journal = The Journal of Rheumatology| volume = 27| issue = 6| pages = 1484–91| last2 = Barrier| first2 = J. H.| last3 = Pottier| first3 = P| last4 = Magadur-Joly| first4 = G| last5 = Pottier| first5 = M. A.| last6 = Hamidou| first6 = M| last7 = Planchon| first7 = B| last8 = El Kouri| first8 = D| last9 = Connan| first9 = L| last10 = Dupond| first10 = J. L.| last11 = De Wazieres| first11 = B| last12 = Dien| first12 = G| last13 = Duhamel| first13 = E| last14 = Grosbois| first14 = B| last15 = Jego| first15 = P| last16 = Le Strat| first16 = A| last17 = Capdeville| first17 = J| last18 = Letellier| first18 = P| last19 = Agron| first19 = L}}</ref> Immunosuppressive pulse therapy, such as with cyclophosphamide, has also demonstrated relief of symptoms associated with arteritis.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Bose|first=P.|title=Takayasu's Arteritis|journal=Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry|date=29 November 2012|volume=83|issue=Suppl 2|pages=A1.2–A1|doi=10.1136/jnnp-2012-304200a.2|s2cid=219209165}}</ref>