The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Race May Not Be a Risk Factor for Giant Cell Arteritis

Race May Not Be a Risk Factor for Giant Cell Arteritis

October 21, 2019 • By Lara C. Pullen, PhD

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

Although rheumatologists do not know the cause of giant cell arteritis (GCA), researchers have identified many of its risk factors. These factors have largely been determined based on cohorts of patients of Northern European descent that include information about age, sex and HLA DRB1. These past studies have also suggested GCA is uncommon in black patients.

You Might Also Like
  • Higher Fracture Risk in Patients with Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Giant-Cell Arteritis
  • Experts Discuss Proposed Giant Cell Arteritis Risk Tool
  • New Insights into the Management of Giant Cell Arteritis
Also By This Author
  • Cerebral Blood Flow Variability May Provide Insights into Fibromyalgia

New Findings
Although biopsy-proven GCA occurs more commonly in women, recent research indicates  its rates are similar between races. The research by Anna M. Gruener, BMBS, an ophthalmologist from Nottingham University Hospitals National Health Service Trust, U.K., and colleagues suggests GCA does not occur more frequently in white patients than in black patients. The investigators published their findings online Aug. 8 in JAMA Ophthalmology. The retrospective cohort study compared the incidence of biopsy proven GCA in black patients with white patients.1

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

“In our 10-year retrospective study of GCA at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, we reviewed the medical records of 586 patients who had [temporal artery biopsies], 93 of whom had positive findings,” write the authors in their discussion. “To our knowledge, the only other North American study of GCA incidence with a comparable sample size to ours evaluated patients from Olmsted County, Minn., where the population is predominantly white. That study identified 173 incident cases of GCA during a 50-year study period. Our study is the largest, to our knowledge, to examine GCA incidence in a population that includes a sizeable proportion of black patients.”

The researchers calculated an overall age- and sex-adjusted incidence rate of biopsy-proven GCA of 3.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.5–4.5) per 100,000 population per year.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

The Patients
The investigators evaluated patients seen at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, Baltimore. Patients were selected for temporal artery biopsies based on their clinical presentation. Although the population in the current study differed from previous studies with regards to ethnicity, it was similar to previous studies in terms of mean age (70.5 years) and sex ratios (72.2% women). The mean age of patients selected for temporal artery biopsy was higher in 31 white patients than black patients, mean difference of 2.7 years (95% CI, 0.6–4.7 years; P=0.01).

The researchers classified patients with biopsies of healed arteritis as having biopsy-proven GCA. For this classification, the healing could be a significant fragmentation and/or loss of internal elastic lamina with associated thinning and fibrosis or scarring of the media, sometimes with capillary neovascularization. The researchers classified indeterminate findings of biopsies as negative.

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Vasculitis Tagged With: GCA, giant cell arteritis (GCA), race, Risk Factors

You Might Also Like:
  • Higher Fracture Risk in Patients with Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Giant-Cell Arteritis
  • Experts Discuss Proposed Giant Cell Arteritis Risk Tool
  • New Insights into the Management of Giant Cell Arteritis
  • Varicella Zoster Virus Not Associated with Giant Cell Arteritis Pathogenesis

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2022 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)