Clinical outcomes of patients with giant cell arteritis treated with tocilizumab in real-world clinical practice: decreased incidence of new visual manifestations

Table 1 Patient baseline characteristics and treatments

	All patients, N = 60
Age at diagnosis, mean (SD), years	69.3 (9.4)
White, n (%)	53 (88.3)
Female, n (%)	43 (71.7)
Previous or current smoking history, n (%)	21 (35.0)
New-onset disease, n (%)*	48 (80.0)
Clinical manifestations at disease onset
Localized headache, n (%)	47 (78.3)
Scalp tenderness, n (%)	26 (43.3)
Jaw claudication, n (%)	31 (51.7)
PMR symptoms, n (%)	32 (53.3)
Visual manifestations, n (%)	22 (36.7)
Amaurosis fugax, n (%)	11 (18.3)
Transient blurry vision, n (%)	18 (30.0)
Diplopia, n (%)	2 (3.3)
Permanent vision loss, n (%)	8 (13.3)
AION, n (%)	7 (11.7)
CRAO, n (%)	1 (1.7)
Fever, n (%)	14 (23.3)
Weight loss, n (%)	20 (33.3)
ESR, mean (SD), mm/h	72.6 (33.6)
CRP, mean (SD), mg/L	76.1 (72.7)
Positive temporal artery biopsy, n/N (%)**	26/51 (51.0)
Large-vessel vasculitis, n/N (%)**	12/28 (42.9)
Prednisone dose at the time of GCA diagnosis, mean (SD), mg/day	54.0 (19.0)
Duration of prednisone use before TCZ initiation, median (IQR), years^†	0.6 (0.2–1.4)
Use of other immunosuppressants before TCZ initiation, n (%)^‡	14 (23.3)
Prednisone dose at TCZ initiation, mean (SD), mg/day	30.0 (18.3)
Duration of disease before TCZ initiation , median (IQR), years	0.6 (0.2–1.6)
Received TCZ upon disease onset (new-onset disease), n (%)^¥	15 (25.0)
Received intravenous TCZ, n (%)^§	22 (36.7)
Received subcutaneous TCZ, n (%)^§	44 (73.3)
Duration of TCZ treatment, median (IQR), years	0.5 (0.3–1.4)

AION anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, CRAO central retinal artery occlusion, CRP C-reactive protein, ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate, GCA giant cell arteritis, IQR interquartile range, MGH Massachusetts General Hospital, PMR polymyalgia rheumatica, TCZ tocilizumab
*At first MGH visit
**Of patients assessed. Large-vessel vasculitis was defined as the presence of circumferential wall thickening, edema, contrast enhancement, and/or ¹⁸fluorine-2-deoxy-d-glucose uptake in large arteries identified by cross-sectional imaging including magnetic resonance angiography, computed tomography angiography, or positron emission tomography
^†Of 59 patients with prednisone use prior to TCZ initiation
^‡Other immunosuppressants included methotrexate, ustekinumab, abatacept, rituximab, leflunomide, tofacitinib, and cyclophosphamide
^¥TCZ started within 10 weeks of GCA diagnosis without preceding disease flare
^§Six patients received both intravenous and subcutaneous TCZ

ISSN: 1478-6362