Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Frequency and characteristics of severe relapses in giant cell arteritis
Authors' conclusion
In a real-life setting, relapse affects nearly half of GCA patients, but severe relapse is rare.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with GCA in a monocentric database, real-life setting242 with ≥1 relapse
- Participants
- 530 patients
- Exposure
- Severe vs non-severe relapse
- Severe relapsen = 13
- Non-severe relapsen = 229reference
- Outcome
- Frequency and characteristics of severe relapse
Methodological detailssingle-centre, real-life setting
- Single-centre
- Real-life setting
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Relapse and severe relapse frequency
- Patients with ≥1 relapse
- 242 (45.7%)
- Patients with severe relapse
- 13 (2.5% of the cohort)
- Severe relapses among 464 recorded relapses
- 14 (3% of all relapses)
- Severe relapse: peripheral limb ischaemia
- 6 patients
- Severe relapse: visual event (incl. two acute anterior ischaemic neuropathies)
- 3 patients
- Severe relapse: aortic complication
- 3 patients
- Severe relapse: mesenteric ischaemia
- 1 patient
- Severe relapse: ischaemic stroke
- 1 patient
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Large-vessel vasculitis on imaging at diagnosis
P = 0.002
Baseline characteristics · diagnosis
- Severe relapse patients younger at diagnosis
- P = 0.02
- More frequent limb claudication at baseline in severe relapse
- P < 0.0001
- Fewer GCA-related cranial signs in severe relapse
- P < 0.0001
Death rate
- Did not differ between severe and non-severe relapse
Original publication
Frequency and characteristics of severe relapses in giant cell arteritis. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 18 March 2024. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →