Table 3.
Relapse characteristics between the conventional (No FTA) and the FTA cohorts.
| No FTA (N = 64) | FTA (N = 18) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age at relapse, mean (S.D.), years | 70.3 (8.1) | 72.7 (7.7) | 0.3 |
| Females, n (%) | 50 (80.0) | 12 (66.7) | 0.2 |
| Previous PMR, n (%) | 12 (18.8) | 5 (27.7) | 0.4 |
| Time to 1st relapse (if any), median (IQR), months | 8.5 (3.8–20.3) | 7.5 (3.3–10.8) | 0.4 |
| Relapse rate per 10 person-years, median (95% C.I.) | 2.9 (2.5–3.4) | 3.6 (2.3–5.2) | 0.3 |
| Any cranial symptom, n (%) | 41 (64.1) | 4 (22.2) | 0.002 |
| Any ocular symptom, n (%) | 4 (6.3) | 0 (0.0) | 0.3 |
| Permanent visual loss, n (%) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | nd |
| Amaurosis fugax, n (%) | 4 (6.3) | 0 (0.0) | 0.3 |
| Jaw claudication, n (%) | 4 (6.3) | 1 (5.6) | 0.9 |
| Tongue claudication, n (%) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | nd |
| Scalp tenderness, n (%) | 3 (4.7) | 0 (0.0) | 0.4 |
| Headache, n (%) | 31 (48.4) | 3 (16.7) | 0.02 |
| PMR, n (%) | 15 (23.4) | 9 (50.0) | 0.03 |
| Increased ESR/CRP, n (%) | 41 (67.2) | 12 (66.6) | 0.9 |
| ESR, median (IQR), mm/h | 36 (25–53) | 32 (22–47) | 0.2 |
| CRP, median (IQR), mg/L | 11.0 (5.4–18.6) | 12.5 (5.2–26) | 0.9 |
| GC dose, median (IQR), mg/day | 12.5 (7.5–25) | 13.75 (10–25) | 0.4 |
| Immunosuppressive drug, n (%) | 9 (14.1) | 0 (0.0) | 0.09 |
| Cranial GCA | 48 (75.0) | 16 (88.9) | 0.2 |
| LV-GCA | 16 (25.0) | 2 (11.1) | 0.2 |
| Ischaemic GCA | 17 (26.6) | 0 (0.0) | 0.01 |