Table 1 Main clinical and laboratory data of the 73 patients ultimately diagnosed with GCA

Number of patients

73

Age (mean y ± SD)

76 ± 7

Women/men (ratio)

51 (70%)/22 (30%)

Clinical features

 Headache

44 (60.2%)

 Temporal artery abnormality or scalp tenderness

26 (35.6%)

 Jaw claudication

10 (13.6%)

 Visual manifestations

15 (20.5%)

 Cerebrovascular accidents

6 (8.2%)

 Systemic symptoms^a

60 (82.2%)

 Polymyalgia rheumatica

39 (53.4%)

 Limb claudication

2 (2.7%)

Laboratory data

 ESR (mm/h)

63 ± 27

 CRP (mg/L; ref. value ≤ 5)

66.5 ± 33

 Anemia (≤ 11 g/dl)

46 (63%)

 Platelets (× 10³ cells/mm³)

356 ± 121

 Raised ALT/AST^b

4 (5.4%)

 Raised alkaline phosphatase^b

20 (27.3%)