A 72-year-old woman presents to the emergency department with a 3-week history of new right-sided headache, scalp tenderness when combing her hair, jaw pain with chewing, and morning stiffness of both shoulders. Earlier today she had a 5-minute episode of painless vision loss in the right eye that has fully resolved. She has hypertension and osteopenia and takes amlodipine, calcium, and vitamin D; her weight is 60 kg. On examination, the right temporal artery is tender and nodular with a diminished pulse. Visual acuity is 20/25 in both eyes, the pupils are equal and reactive, and the fundi appear normal. ESR is 88 mm/h (0-30), CRP is 74 mg/L (less than 8), hemoglobin is 108 g/L (115-155), and platelets are 462 x 10^9/L (150-400).
| Heart rate | 78/min |
| Respiratory rate | 16/min |
| Temperature | 37.4 °C |
| O2 saturation | 97%, room air |
| Blood pressure | 148/84 mm Hg |
Question 1 of 36
Which of the following are the most appropriate initial management steps?
Select 2. (0 / 2 selected)
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