Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Is there a seasonal pattern in giant cell arteritis? Revisiting the evidence in a large monocentric cohort over 30 years
Authors' conclusion
Across nearly three decades, we found no convincing evidence for broad meteorological seasonality in GCA symptom onset, although short-term monthly variation, including a relative increase in December-January, was observed.
Study context
- Population
- Consecutive patients with clinically confirmed GCA and a documented symptom-onset date, Berlin-Buch, Germany, 1994–2023
- Participants
- 1,149 patients
- Exposure
- Seasons and months of GCA symptom onset
- Outcome
- Seasonal pattern of GCA symptom onset
Methodological detailsmonocentric, consecutive patients, exact multinomial tests, negative-binomial models with b-splines, US was the primary diagnostic modality for confirming GCA
- Monocentric
- Consecutive patients
- Exact multinomial tests
- Negative-binomial models with b-splines
- US was the primary diagnostic modality for confirming GCA
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Distribution of GCA symptom onset across meteorological seasons
- Seasonal distribution balanced across seasons (uniformity test)
- P = 0.36
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Monthly distribution of symptom onset
- Departure from uniformity
- P = 0.002
- Higher incidence January vs February
- +88%
- Higher incidence December vs February
- +80%
- Higher incidence January vs September
- +67%
- Similar incidence rates across the rest of the year
Seasonality by sex or phenotype (subgroups)
- No consistent seasonality by sex or phenotype
Original publication
Is there a seasonal pattern in giant cell arteritis? Revisiting the evidence in a large monocentric cohort over 30 years. Semin Arthritis Rheum. Published 10 February 2026. doi:10.
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