Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Giant cell arteritis mimics with severe consequences: a long-term monocentric inception cohort
Authors' conclusion
Misdiagnosing GCA has severe consequences in a few patients. Classification criteria often fail to differentiate mimics from true GCA.
Study context
- Population
- Patients who underwent a temporal artery biopsy (TAB) for initially suspected GCA, single centre, 2005–2023
- Participants
- 579 patients
- Exposure
- Ominous mimics vs usual mimics, GCA with positive TAB and GCA with negative TAB
- GCA, positive TABn = 248
- GCA, negative TABn = 135
- Usual mimicsn = 177reference
- Ominous mimicsn = 19
- Outcome
- Ominous mimics: consequences
Methodological detailssingle-centre, inception cohort
- Single-centre
- Inception cohort
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Ominous mimics among all mimics
10%
Ominous mimics with major diagnostic delays leading to severe outcomes
9
Ominous mimics with severe side effects from GC treatment
12
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Usual mimics | Ominous mimics |
|---|---|---|
| ACR/EULAR 2022 score | 4.5 | 6.9 |
- Ominous mimics: time to alternative diagnosis, diagnostic delay and mortality
- 66 · mean · days
ACR/EULAR 2022 score
- Ominous mimics had scores similar to GCA with negative TAB
Ominous mimics: time to alternative diagnosis, diagnostic delay and mortality
- Diagnostic delay much longer than in the other groups
Safety
- Severe side effects from GC treatment (ominous mimics)
- 12 · events
Original publication
Giant cell arteritis mimics with severe consequences: a long-term monocentric inception cohort. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 14 February 2025. doi:10.
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