TY - JOUR
T1 - Disease relapses among patients with giant cell arteritis
T2 - A prospective, longitudinal cohort study
AU - Kermani, Tanaz A.
AU - Warrington, Kenneth J.
AU - Cuthbertson, David
AU - Carette, Simon
AU - Hoffman, Gary S.
AU - Khalidi, Nader A.
AU - Koening, Curry L.
AU - Langford, Carol A.
AU - Maksimowicz-McKinnon, Kathleen
AU - McAlear, Carol A.
AU - Monach, Paul A.
AU - Seo, Philip
AU - Merkel, Peter A.
AU - Ytterberg, Steven R.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015. All rights reserved.
PY - 2015/7/1
Y1 - 2015/7/1
N2 - Objective. To evaluate the frequency, timing, and clinical features of relapses in giant cell arteritis (GCA). Methods. Patients with GCA enrolled in a prospective, multicenter, longitudinal study were included in the analysis. Relapse was defined as either new disease activity after a period of remission or worsening disease activity. Results. The study included 128 subjects: 102 women (80%) and 26 men (20%). Mean ± SD age at diagnosis of GCA was 69.9 ± 8.6 years. Mean followup for the cohort was 21.4 ± 13.9 months. Median (interquartile range) duration of disease at study enrollment was 4.6 months (1.2, 16.8). During followup, 59 relapses were observed in 44 patients (34%). Ten patients (8%) experienced 2 or more relapses. The most common symptoms at relapse were headache (42%) and polymyalgia rheumatica (51%), but ischemic (some transient) manifestations (visual symptoms, tongue or jaw claudication, and/or limb claudication) occurred in 29% of relapses (12% cohort). Forty-three relapses (73%) occurred while patients were taking glucocorticoid therapy at a median (range) prednisone dose of 7.5 (0-35) mg. In 21% of relapses, both erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were normal. Among 69 patients enrolled in the cohort with newly diagnosed disease, 24% experienced a first relapse within 12 months after diagnosis. Conclusion.Among patients with GCA, relapses are common, often occurring during treatment. ESR and CRP are frequently normal at times of clinical relapse, highlighting the need for better biomarkers to assess disease activity in GCA. There remains a need for effective therapeutic alternatives to glucocorticoids in GCA.
AB - Objective. To evaluate the frequency, timing, and clinical features of relapses in giant cell arteritis (GCA). Methods. Patients with GCA enrolled in a prospective, multicenter, longitudinal study were included in the analysis. Relapse was defined as either new disease activity after a period of remission or worsening disease activity. Results. The study included 128 subjects: 102 women (80%) and 26 men (20%). Mean ± SD age at diagnosis of GCA was 69.9 ± 8.6 years. Mean followup for the cohort was 21.4 ± 13.9 months. Median (interquartile range) duration of disease at study enrollment was 4.6 months (1.2, 16.8). During followup, 59 relapses were observed in 44 patients (34%). Ten patients (8%) experienced 2 or more relapses. The most common symptoms at relapse were headache (42%) and polymyalgia rheumatica (51%), but ischemic (some transient) manifestations (visual symptoms, tongue or jaw claudication, and/or limb claudication) occurred in 29% of relapses (12% cohort). Forty-three relapses (73%) occurred while patients were taking glucocorticoid therapy at a median (range) prednisone dose of 7.5 (0-35) mg. In 21% of relapses, both erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were normal. Among 69 patients enrolled in the cohort with newly diagnosed disease, 24% experienced a first relapse within 12 months after diagnosis. Conclusion.Among patients with GCA, relapses are common, often occurring during treatment. ESR and CRP are frequently normal at times of clinical relapse, highlighting the need for better biomarkers to assess disease activity in GCA. There remains a need for effective therapeutic alternatives to glucocorticoids in GCA.
KW - Cohort study
KW - Disease activity
KW - Giant cell arteritis
KW - Relapses
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U2 - 10.3899/jrheum.141347
DO - 10.3899/jrheum.141347
M3 - Article
C2 - 25877501
AN - SCOPUS:84940570206
SN - 0315-162X
VL - 42
SP - 1213
EP - 1217
JO - Journal of Rheumatology
JF - Journal of Rheumatology
IS - 7
ER -