Skip to main content

Table 1 Characteristics of the study population

From: Incidence of giant cell arteritis in Western Norway 1972–2012: a retrospective cohort study

Clinical characteristic

Overall

N = 792

Female

N = 566

Male

N = 226

P value for difference between sexes

Mean age at onset of GCA, years (SD)

73.1 (8)

73.5 (8)

72.1 (9)

0.041

ACR criteria fulfilled, persons, n (%)

792 (100)

566 (100)

226 (100)

 

 Age ≥50 years at disease onset, n (%)

788 (99.5)

564 (99.6)

224 (99.1)

0.322 (Fisher)

 New onset headache, n (%)

573 (72.3)

405 (71.6)

168 (74.3)

0.897

 Temporal artery tenderness, n (%)

365 (46.1)

256 (45.2)

109 (48.2)

0.390

 Decreased temporal pulse, n (%)

227 (28.7)

168 (29.7)

59 (26.1)

0.416

 ESR ≥50 mm/h, n (%)

717 (90.5)

510 (90.1)

207 (91.6)

0.351

 Biopsy showing vasculitis, n (%)

528 (66.7)

378 (66.8)

150 (66.4)

0.984

Giant cells in biopsy, n (%)

243 (30.7)

185 (32.7)

58 (25.7)

0.137

Jaw claudication, n (%)

181 (22.9)

134 (23.7)

47 (20.8)

0.763

Polymyalgia rheumatica, n (%)

242 (30.6)

192 (33.9)

50 (22.1)

0.008

Peripheral arthritis, n (%)

32 (4.0)

23 (4.1)

9 (4.0)

0.760

Visual disturbance, n (%)

146 (18.4)

103 (18.2)

43 (19.0)

0.786

 Blindness in one or both eyes, n (%)

32 (4.0)

23 (4.1)

9 (4.0)

0.958

Scalp necrosis, n (%)

6 (0.8)

4 (0.7)

2 (0.9)

0.679 (Fisher)

Mean ESR, mm/h (SD)

N = 782a

84.6 (27)

84.2 (28)

85.7 (27)

0.483

Mean CRP, mg/L (SD)

N = 601a

91.2 (63)

88.3 (62)

99.2 (65.3)

0.059

  1. If a given variable was not documented in the patient’s record it was registered as missing. In subsequent statistical analyses missing data were treated as negative findings. The t test was used for comparing continuous variables and the chi-square or Fisher’s exact test for comparing categorical variables.
  2. GCA giant cell arteritis, ACR American College of Rheumatology, ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate, CRP C-reactive protein
  3. aMean laboratory values were calculated within the subset with available data