Table 1.
Baseline characteristics and initial presentation
| Parameter | GCA (n = 60) | No GCA (n = 138) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (S.d.), years | 75.2 (7.3) | 70.7 (12.0) | 0.008 |
| Female, n (%) | 42 (70.0) | 99 (71.7) | 0.804 |
| Clinical features, n (%) | LR (P-value) | ||
| Headache | 49 (81.7) | 94 (68.1) | 4.03 (0.045) |
| Scalp tenderness | 21 (35.0) | 28 (20.3) | 5.63 (0.060) |
| Jaw claudication | 20 (33.3) | 6 (4.3) | 28.94 (<0.001) |
| Visual symptoms | 22 (36.7) | 30 (21.7) | 5.06 (0.073) |
| PMR | 18 (30.0) | 28 (20.3) | 2.60 (0.273) |
| Constitutional symptoms | 33 (55.0) | 28 (20.3) | 24.66 (<0.001) |
| Abnormal temporal artery on examination | 29 (48.3) | 7 (5.1) | 50.88 (<0.001) |
| Laboratory values, n (%) | |||
| Normocytic anaemiaa | 33 (55.0) | 39 (28.3) | 12.84 (0.002) |
| Elevated WBCb | 16 (26.7) | 16 (11.6) | 6.61 (0.037) |
| Thrombocytosisc | 19 (31.7) | 8 (5.8) | 21.73 (<0.001) |
| Elevated CRPd | 57 (95.0) | 82 (59.6) | 31.12 (<0.001) |
| Elevated ESRe | 28 (46.7) | 53 (38.4) | 6.09 (0.48) |
| Inflammatory markers | P-value | ||
| ESR, mean (S.d.), mm/h | 45.3 (23.5) | 36.1 (27.4) | 0.103 |
| CRP, mean (S.d.), mg/l | 81.4 (63.9) | 39.42 (60.6) | <0.001 |
| Temporal artery biopsy | |||
| Length, mean (S.d.), cm | 1.68 (0.33) | 1.53 (0.41) | 0.172 |
| Glucocorticoid use before CDUS, median (IQR), days | 4.00 (1.00–10.00) | 0.00 (0.00–5.00) | <0.001 |
| Cumulative dose of glucocorticoids before CDUS, mean (S.d.), mg | 772.73 (1135.0) | 232.05 (569.8) | <0.001 |
a
Haemoglobin <140 g/l for men and <120 g/l for women, with a mean corpuscular volume between 80 and 100 fl.
b
White blood cells >10 × 109/l.
c
Platelets >400 × 109/l.
d
CRP >5 mg/l.
e
ESR (Wintrobe method) >10 mm/h for men and >20 mm/h for women.
CDUS: colour Doppler ultrasonography; IQR: interquartile range; WBC: white blood cell.