Table 1.
Comparison of clinical and biological characteristics at diagnosis in giant cell arteritis patients with or without vascular event during follow-up.
| Without vascular event n = 215 n/available data (%) |
With vascular event n = 39 n/available data (%) |
p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical characteristics | |||
| • Mean age at diagnosis | 71.9 ± 8.7 | 72.3 ± 8.2 | 0.79 |
| • Male | 58/215 (27.0) | 10/39 (25.6) | >0.99 |
| • Arterial hypertension | 85/215 (39.5) | 23/39 (59.0) | 0.03 |
| • Hypercholesterolemia | 46/215 (21.4) | 13/39 (33.3) | 0.14 |
| • Smoking | 32/215 (14.9) | 5/39 (12.8) | >0.99 |
| • Diabetes mellitus | 19/215 (8.8) | 9/39 (23.1) | 0.02 |
| • Obesity, BMI >30 kg/m2 | 14/212 (6.6) | 6/39 (15.4) | 0.10 |
| • Positive temporal artery biopsy | 140/210 (66.7) | 27/38 (71.1) | 0.70 |
| • Temporal artery tenderness or swelling | 60/202 (29.7) | 5/34 (14.7) | 0.09 |
| • Weight loss | 100/212 (47.2) | 15/39 (38.5) | 0.38 |
| • Mean weight loss, kg | 2.9 ± 3.5 | 3.0 ± 4.4 | 0.90 |
| • Fever | 68/214 (31.8) | 14/38 (36.8) | 0.57 |
| • Headaches at diagnosis | 131/214 (61.2) | 19/39 (48.7) | 0.15 |
| • Jaw claudication | 60/214 (28.0) | 8/39 (20.5) | 0.43 |
| • Scalp tenderness | 50/213 (23.5) | 8/39 (20.5) | 0.83 |
| • Ophthalmological signs | 40/214 (18.7) | 6/39 (15.4) | 0.82 |
| • Polymyalgia rheumatica | 49/213 (23.0) | 7/38 (18.4) | 0.67 |
| • Peripheral musculoskeletal manifestation | 55/204 (27.0) | 9/38 (23.7) | 0.84 |
| • Cough | 40/211 (19.0) | 8/38 (21.1) | 0.82 |
| • Chest pain | 17/213 (8.0) | 4/39 (10.3) | 0.54 |
| • Abdominal pain | 12/209 (5.7) | 1/38 (2.6) | 0.69 |
| Vascular events at diagnosis | |||
| • Aortic surgery | 4/212 (1.9) | 6/39 (15.4) | 0.001 |
| • Stroke | 3/213 (1.4) | 3/39 (7.7) | 0.049 |
| • Upper limb ischemia | 3/212 (1.4) | 3/39 (7.7) | 0.049 |
| • Lower limb ischemia | 1/211 (0.5) | 3/39 (7.7) | 0.01 |
| • Myocardial infarction | 1/212 (0.5) | 0/39 (0.0) | >0.99 |
| • Mesenteric ischemia | 0/212 (0.0) | 1/39 (2.6) | 0.15 |
| • Lower limbs arteritis stage II/III/IV | 11/213 (5.2) | 9/39 (23.1) | 0.001 |
| Biological characteristics | |||
| • ESR, mm/h, mean ± σ (median) | 78.5 ± 33.8 (80) | 80.3 ± 25.8 (79) | 0.90 |
| • CRP, mg/L, mean ± σ (median) | 105.3 ± 79.1 (85) | 112.1 ± 73.7 (95) | 0.62 |
| • Hb, g/dL, mean ± σ (median) | 11.2 ± 1.6 (11.3) | 11.0 ± 1.7 (10.5) | 0.37 |
| • Platelets, G/L, mean ± σ (median) | 412.1 ± 133.7 (401) | 413.8 ± 169.0 (406.5) | 0.94 |
| • Follow-up duration, months, mean ± σ (median) | 49.7 ± 99.2 (28) | 85.4 ± 61.9 (65) | 0.03 |
Data are expressed as mean ± σ (median) and number (percentage), n (%). Bold p value are <0.05.
BMI, body mass index; CRP, C-reactive protein; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; Hb, hemoglobin.