Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Prevalence, characteristics, and outcome of subclinical vasculitis in polymyalgia rheumatica: a retrospective cohort study
Authors' conclusion
Only 9% of our PMR patients had subclinical vasculitis with a predilection for large vessel vasculitis. There were no differences in relapse rate and duration of GC treatment, however, those with subclinical vasculitis received higher GC doses until 12 months after diagnosis.
Study context
- Population
- Consecutive patients with GCA/PMR spectrum disease with isolated PMR symptoms who underwent FDG PET imaging between 2003 and 2020, followed ≥6 months
- Participants
- 337 patients
- Exposure
- PMR with subclinical vasculitis vs PMR without subclinical vasculitis
- Subclinical vasculitisn = 31
- Outcome
- Prevalence of subclinical vasculitis (FDG uptake ≥grade 2 in any vessel)
Methodological detailsconsecutive patients, Cox proportional hazard regression
- Consecutive patients
- Cox proportional hazard regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Subclinical vasculitis
9%
31
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Vasculitis pattern among those with subclinical vasculitis
- Isolated large vessel vasculitis
- 21 (58%)
- Isolated cranial vasculitis
- 3 (10%)
- Both cranial and large vessel vasculitis
- 7 (23%)
Glucocorticoid (GC) starting dose and GC doses during follow-up · until 12 months after diagnosis
- Higher in those with subclinical vasculitis until 12 months after diagnosis
- P < 0.001
Duration of GC treatment
- No difference in the duration of GC treatment (25 vs 20 months)
- P = 0.187
Proportion of patients able to stop GC
- No difference (Cox proportional hazard regression), HR 0.78
- 95% CI 0.49-1.25, P = 0.303
Proportion of patients with relapse
- No difference (Cox proportional hazard regression), HR 0.82
- 95% CI 0.50-1.36, P = 0.441
Original publication
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