• Pamela Wurmann, Claudia Hernández, Pedro Zamorano, Francisca Sabugo, Claudio Karsulovic, and Macarena Mac-Namara.
• Hospital Clínico, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
• Rev Med Chil. 2022 Jun 1; 150 (6): 720726720-726.

BackgroundGiant cell Arteritis (GCA) is the most common systemic vasculitis in patients over 50 years. Diagnosis is based on clinical, laboratory, imaging and biopsy. Temporal artery biopsy (TAB) may be inconclusive in up to 40% of patients.AimTo describe disease features of patients diagnosed with GCA.Material And MethodsReview of pathology reports of giant cell arteritis and clinical records of patients seen with the diagnosis between 2000 and 2019. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, histopathology, imaging, treatment and follow-up variables were analyzed.ResultsWe fetched 32 patients with a median age at diagnosis of 70.5 years (range 57-90), 81% women. Twenty eight percent had polymyalgia. 72% had only cranial symptoms, 12% had extracranial involvement and 13% exclusive extracranial involvement. The median time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis was two months (range 0.5-8). All had elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and c reactive protein. A TAB was performed in 27 patients and in 17 (65.4%) it confirmed the diagnosis. Transmural inflam- mation was the most frequent finding. All patients received steroids. Follow-up information was available from 25 patients and 92% received a steroid-spa- ring agent, usually methotrexate (74%). Ninety two percent achieved clinical remission in the first year and 59% had minor relapses during steroid tapering.ConclusionsOur patients showed frequent extracranial involvement and TAB was a useful diagnostic tool.

18 keywords...

hide…