Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
A Delphi survey of patients and clinicians on a unified and stratified approach to managing giant cell arteritis (GCA)–polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) spectrum disease
Authors' conclusion
By unifying fragmented care pathways and promoting a spectrum-based approach, GPSD has the potential to improve patient outcomes, reduce misdiagnosis and guide more effective therapeutic strategies across related inflammatory conditions.
Study context
- Population
- Patients, primary and secondary care clinicians, and experts; GCA–PMR spectrum disease (GPSD)
- Outcome
- Agreement with six propositions (nomenclature, phenotypes, imaging, stratification, clinical impact)
- Follow-up
- Round 1
Methodological detailstwo rounds, patients, primary and secondary care clinicians, and experts
- Two rounds
- Patients, primary and secondary care clinicians, and experts
Recommendations
As reported in the abstract
Consensus across all propositions, agreement
over 75%
Recognition of GPSD, agreement
92%
Role of imaging in diagnosis and stratification, agreement
100%
Need for multilevel assessment, agreement
100%
Further findings
Agreement after refinement of questions · Round 2
- Some items reaching agreement
- 100%
- Further strengthening consensus
Internal consistency analysis
- Confirmed the survey's reliability and validity for future use
Original publication
A Delphi survey of patients and clinicians on a unified and stratified approach to managing GCA–PMR spectrum disease. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 3 July 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →