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Study: Patients with giant cell arteritis more likely to develop cerebrovascular, cardiovascular diseases
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Cerebrovascular disease and cardiovascular disease were more likely to develop among patients with giant cell arteritis compared to matched controls, according to results.
Using the United Kingdom Clinical Practice Research Datalink from 1991 to 2010, researchers identified 5,827 patients with giant cell arteritis and 37,090 age-, sex- and location-matched controls for a parallel cohort study. Outcome measures included the risk of developing cerebrovascular disease, cardiovascular disease or either cerebrovascular disease or cardiovascular disease between patients either with or without giant cell arteritis.
Joanna Robson
Results showed patients with giant cell arteritis had a higher risk of developing cerebrovascular disease, cardiovascular disease or either disease vs. matched controls. The risk of patients developing either cerebrovascular disease or cardiovascular disease had the largest difference, with an 18.3% risk in the giant cell arteritis group and a 12.6% risk in the matched cohort group, according to results. Researchers found increased age, male sex and being in the most deprived vs. the least deprived quintile were predictors for cerebrovascular disease or cardiovascular disease among patients either with or without giant cell arteritis.
“When treating patients with [giant cell arteritis] GCA, we should be aware that those from the most deprived areas, who are older and male, appear to have the greatest risk of developing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease,” Joanna Robson, MBBS, MRCP, PhD, of the University of the West of England and University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, told Healio.com/Rheumatology. “More work is needed to discover why this is the case.” – by Casey Tingle
Disclosure: Robson reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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