Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.21860/medflum2022_281004
Presentation, diagnosis and treatment of giant cell arteritis: A single centre retrospective study
Daniel Victor Šimac
orcid.org/0000-0003-3821-6969
; Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Rijeka, Croatia
Dora Keleva
; Acibadem Maslak Hospital, Sarıyer, Turkey
Srđan Novak
; Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Rijeka, Croatia
Abstract
Objective: To present patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) in our centre over a 10 year period in order to confirm current understanding of giant cell arteritis (GCA) and observe any possible specifities in our cohort. Patients and Methods: In this retrospective study all patients diagnosed with GCA in the Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka from 1 Jan 2011 to 31 Dec 2021 were included. Data were collected on disease presentation and diagnostic workup at the initial exam, and treatment. Results: A total of 51 patients were included in the study, of which 72.55% patients were female, and 72.55% were over 70. Of 50 patients with available data in medical documentation, 8 (16.00%) had systemic disease (S-GCA), while the rest had cranial disease (C-GCA). Headache, considered also a pathognomonic sign, was the most common initial symptom (88.00% in whole cohort, or 97.62% if S-GCA is excluded). Of 49 patients, all had increased erthyrocyte sedimentation rate. Temporal artery biopsy was positive in 12/16 patients with C-GCA, while temporal artery ultrasound was positive in 12/16 patients. Biopsy or ultrasound was not performed in 18 patients, of which 8 were patients with S-GCA, and data were not available for one patient. No patients had both a biopsy and ultrasound performed. All patients were treated with glucocorticoids, 9.80% were also treated with methotrexate, 7.84% with toclizumab, and one with both methotrexate and azathioprine. Conclusion: These results are comparable to other centres in Croatia and at least one centre abroad.
Keywords
arteritis; giant cell arteritis; vasculitis
Hrčak ID:
281004
URI
Publication date:
1.9.2022.
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