Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Angiotensin receptor blockade is associated with increased risk of giant cell arteritis
Authors' conclusion
Initiation of ARBs is associated with a higher risk of GCA compared with ACEis or other antihypertensives.
Study context
- Population
- Treatment-naïve adults initiating antihypertensives in UK primary care, 1995–2019, without prior GCA or PMR>1 million new starters
- Participants
- 81,780 / 422,940 / 873,066
- Exposure
- ARB initiators vs ACEi initiators vs other antihypertensive initiators
- ARBn = 81,780
- ACEin = 422,940reference
- Other antihypertensivesn = 873,066
- Outcome
- Incident GCA (validated Read codes, onset age ≥50 years, ≥2 GC prescriptions)
- Follow-up
- Up to 5 years
Methodological detailsinverse probability-weighted Cox models, UK primary care data, new-user (initiator) design
- Inverse probability-weighted Cox models
- UK primary care data
- New-user (initiator) design
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Incident GCA
Each group vs ACEiHazard ratio (95% CI)
ARB
1.55(1.16–2.06)
Other antihypertensives
1.08(0.87–1.35)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Angiotensin receptor blockade is associated with increased risk of giant cell arteritis. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 18 October 2022. doi:10.
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