Mortality causes and trends associated with giant cell arteritis: analysis of the French national death certificate database (1980-2011)

Defining cause of death in a contemporary cohort with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV): A comparison of electronic health record and death certificate data

OBJECTIVES

Patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) face excess mortality compared with the general population. Mortality in clinical epidemiology research is often examined using death certificate diagnosis codes; however, the sensitivity of such codes in AAV is unknown.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort study using the Mass General Brigham AAV Cohort, including patients with AAV who died between 2002 and 2019. Causes of death were determined by electronic health record (EHR) review (reference gold standard) and via cause of death diagnosis codes on death certificates. We calculated the sensitivity of death certificate diagnosis codes for AAV.

RESULTS

Of 684 patients in the registry, 184 died, 92 (52 %) of whom had adequate EHR data available determine cause of death and 72 (40 %) of whom had both EHR and death certificate data available. Death due to AAV, infection, cardiovascular disease, and cancer occurred in 8 %, 29 %, 5 %, and 18 %, respectively, when ascertained by manual review, as opposed to 0 %, 11 %, 25 %, and 21 %, as determined by death certificates. The sensitivity of AAV diagnosis codes for AAV was 16.6 % (95 % CI: 10.5, 22.6) among all patients with death certificate data available.

CONCLUSION

In a contemporary cohort of patients with AAV, infection was the most common cause of death, while death due to AAV itself was rare. We found a high degree of discordance between causes of death determined by manual review and death certificate diagnosis codes. Mortality research on AAV should include linkage to medical records data to reduce potential bias.

Large vessel giant cell arteritis

Giant cell arteritis is the principal form of systemic vasculitis affecting people over 50. Large-vessel involvement, termed large vessel giant cell arteritis, mainly affects the aorta and its branches, often occurring alongside cranial giant cell arteritis, but large vessel giant cell arteritis without cranial giant cell arteritis can also occur. Patients mostly present with constitutional symptoms, with localising large vessel giant cell arteritis symptoms present in a minority of patients only. Large vessel giant cell arteritis is usually overlooked until clinicians seek to exclude it with imaging by ultrasonography, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), computed tomography angiography (CTA), or [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose-PET-CT. Although the role of imaging in treatment monitoring remains uncertain, imaging by MRA or CTA is crucial for identifying aortic aneurysm formation during patient follow up. In this Series paper, we define the large vessel subset of giant cell arteritis and summarise its clinical challenges. Furthermore, we identify areas for future research regarding the management of large vessel giant cell arteritis.

EULAR recommendations for the use of imaging in large vessel vasculitis in clinical practice: 2023 update

OBJECTIVES

To update the EULAR recommendations for the use of imaging modalities in primary large vessel vasculitis (LVV).

METHODS

A systematic literature review update was performed to retrieve new evidence on ultrasound, MRI, CT and [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) for diagnosis, monitoring and outcome prediction in LVV. The task force consisted of 24 physicians, health professionals and patients from 14 countries. The recommendations were updated based on evidence and expert opinion, iterating until voting indicated consensus. The level of agreement was determined by anonymous votes.

RESULTS

Three overarching principles and eight recommendations were agreed. Compared to the 2018 version, ultrasound is now recommended as first-line imaging test in all patients with suspected giant cell arteritis, and axillary arteries should be included in the standard examination. As an alternative to ultrasound, cranial and extracranial arteries can be examined by FDG-PET or MRI. For Takayasu arteritis, MRI is the preferred imaging modality; FDG-PET, CT or ultrasound are alternatives. Although imaging is not routinely recommended for follow-up, ultrasound, FDG-PET or MRI may be used for assessing vessel abnormalities in LVV patients with suspected relapse, particularly when laboratory markers of inflammation are unreliable. MR-angiography, CT-angiography or ultrasound may be used for long-term monitoring of structural damage, particularly at sites of preceding vascular inflammation.

CONCLUSIONS

The 2023 EULAR recommendations provide up-to-date guidance for the role of imaging in the diagnosis and assessment of patients with LVV.

Reappraisal of large artery involvement in giant cell arteritis: a population-based cohort over 70 years

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the incidence and outcomes of large artery (LA) involvement among patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) and to compare LA involvement to non-GCA patients.

METHODS

The study included Olmsted County, Minnesota, USA residents with incident GCA between 1950 and 2016 with follow-up through 31 December 2020, death or migration. A population-based age-matched/sex-matched comparator cohort without GCA was assembled. LA involvement included aortic aneurysm, dissection, stenosis in the aorta or its main branches diagnosed within 1 year prior to GCA or anytime afterwards. Cumulative incidence of LA involvement was estimated; Cox models were used.

RESULTS

The GCA cohort included 289 patients (77% females, 81% temporal artery biopsy positive), 106 with LA involvement.Reported cumulative incidences of LA involvement in GCA at 15 years were 14.8%, 30.2% and 49.2% for 1950-1974, 1975-1999 and 2000-2016, respectively (HR 3.48, 95% CI 1.67 to 7.27 for 2000-2016 vs 1950-1974).GCA patients had higher risk for LA involvement compared with non-GCA (HR 3.22, 95% CI 1.83 to 5.68 adjusted for age, sex, comorbidities). Thoracic aortic aneurysms were increased in GCA versus non GCA (HR 13.46, 95% CI 1.78 to 101.98) but not abdominal (HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.33 to 3.55).All-cause mortality in GCA patients improved over time (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.93 in 2000-2016 vs 1950-1974) but remained significantly elevated in those with LA involvement (HR 1.89, 95% CI 1.39 to 2.56).

CONCLUSIONS

LA involvement in GCA has increased over time. Patients with GCA have higher incidences of LA involvement compared with non-GCA including thoracic but not abdominal aneurysms. Mortality is increased in patients with GCA and LA involvement highlighting the need for continued surveillance.

Collider and reporting biases involved in the analyses of cause of death associations in death certificates: an illustration with cancer and suicide

BACKGROUND

Mortality data obtained from death certificates have been studied to explore causal associations between diseases. However, these analyses are subject to collider and reporting biases (selection and information biases, respectively). We aimed to assess to what extent associations of causes of death estimated from individual mortality data can be extrapolated as associations of disease states in the general population.

METHODS

We used a multistate model to generate populations of individuals and simulate their health states up to death from national health statistics and artificially replicate collider bias. Associations between health states can then be estimated from such simulated deaths by logistic regression and the magnitude of collider bias assessed. Reporting bias can be approximated by comparing the estimates obtained from the observed death certificates (subject to collider and reporting biases) with those obtained from the simulated deaths (subject to collider bias only). As an illustrative example, we estimated the association between cancer and suicide in French death certificates and found that cancer was negatively associated with suicide. Collider bias, due to conditioning inclusion in the study population on death, increasingly downwarded the associations with cancer site lethality. Reporting bias was much stronger than collider bias and depended on the cancer site, but not prognosis.

RESULTS

The magnitude of the biases ranged from 1.7 to 9.3 for collider bias, and from 4.7 to 64 for reporting bias.

CONCLUSIONS

These results argue for an assessment of the magnitude of both collider and reporting biases before performing analyses of cause of death associations exclusively from mortality data. If these biases cannot be corrected, results from these analyses should not be extrapolated to the general population.

[18F]FDG PET-MR characterization of aortitis in the IL1rn-/- mouse model of giant-cell arteritis

BACKGROUND

Metabolic imaging is routinely used to demonstrate aortitis in patients with giant-cell arteritis. We aimed to investigate the preclinical model of aortitis in BALB/c IL1rn-/- mice using [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance (PET-MR), gamma counting and immunostaining. We used 15 first-generation specific and opportunistic pathogen-free (SOPF) 9-week-old IL1rn-/- mice, 15 wild-type BALB/cAnN mice and 5 s-generation specific pathogen-free (SPF) 9-week-old IL1rn-/-. Aortic [18F]FDG uptake was assessed as the target-to-background ratio (TBR) using time-of-flight MR angiography as vascular landmarks.

RESULTS

[18F]FDG uptake measured by PET or gamma counting was similar in the first-generation SOPF IL1rn-/- mice and the wild-type group (p > 0.05). However, the first-generation IL1rn-/- mice exhibited more interleukin-1β (p = 0.021)- and interleukin-6 (p = 0.019)-positive cells within the abdominal aorta than the wild-type mice. In addition, the second-generation SPF group exhibited significantly higher TBR (p = 0.0068) than the wild-type mice on the descending thoracic aorta, unlike the first-generation SOPF IL1rn-/- mice.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to the involvement of interleukin-1β and -6 in IL1rn-/- mouse aortitis, this study seems to validate [18F]FDG PET-MR as a useful tool for noninvasive monitoring of aortitis in this preclinical model.

Association between the patterns of large-vessel lesions and treatment outcomes in patients with large-vessel giant cell arteritis

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to identify associations between patterns of large-vessel lesions of large-vessel giant cell arteritis (LV-GCA) and treatment outcomes.

METHODS

We extracted data on 68 newly diagnosed patients with LV-GCA from a retrospective, multi-centric, nationwide registry of GCA patients treated with glucocorticoids between 2007 and 2014. Patients with aortic lesions were identified based on the findings from contrast-enhanced computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or positron emission tomography-computed tomography (Group 2, n = 49). Patients without aortic lesions were subdivided into LV-GCA with or without subclavian lesions defined as Group 1 (n = 9) or Group 3 (n = 10), respectively. The primary outcome evaluation was failure to achieve clinical remission by Week 24 and/or relapse within 104 weeks.

RESULTS

The mean age and proportion of patients with cranial lesions and polymyalgia rheumatica in Group 2 were numerically lower than in the other two groups. Large-vessel lesions in Group 3 included carotid, pulmonary, renal, hepatic, or mesenteric lesions. The cumulative rate of poor treatment outcomes >2 years was 11.1%, 55.3%, and 88.0% in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (by Kaplan-Meier analysis). The mean time to poor outcome was significantly different between the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Classification by subclavian and aortic lesions may be useful to determine treatment strategy.

Race and Gender on the Mortality of Giant Cell Arteritis in Hospitalized Patients: A 15-Year National Inpatient Study

BACKGROUND

Critical appraisal of mortality in giant cell arteritis (GCA) through a racial lens is imperative as gender and racial disparities remain a global healthcare concern.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the impact of race and gender on the mortality of GCA in United States (US)-hospitalized patients.

METHODS

In this retrospective cohort study, the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from January 2003 to December 2018 was searched to identify all patients aged >18 years hospitalized with giant cell arteritis. Patients' baseline characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics. Inferential statistics were done for categorical and continuous variables. Multivariate logistic regression, adjusting for patient and hospital-level cofounders was performed to find an association between race and outcomes of interest.

RESULTS

Over the 15-year study period, a total of 8,352 patients (72.7% White, 14.5% Black or African American, 7.6% Hispanic, 2.2% Asian, 0.4% Alaska Native, and 2.6% under-represented populations) were hospitalized for GCA. The mean age at diagnosis was 73.6 ± 0.12 years. Women represented 71.9% of GCA patients and had a lower risk of mortality (OR 0.463, 95% CI: 0.235 - 0.912, p <0.05). Patients with GCA were hospitalized for an average of 4.64 days ± 0.04 days and 0.55% died. The mortality rate was lowest in Black or African American (0.1%) populations and highest among Alaska Native patients (8%). Mortality was 68% lower in those who had temporal artery biopsy (OR 0.32, 95% CI: 0.16-0.64, p <0.05).

CONCLUSION

GCA disproportionally affected female patients, but mortality was higher in male patients. Alaska Native patients had the least number of hospitalizations but the highest in-hospital mortality rate. Black or African Americans had the lowest mortality rate.

Cardiovascular diseases and their associations with lipid parameters and endothelial dysfunction in giant cell arteritis

OBJECTIVES

Evaluation of endothelial dysfunction, lipid metabolism, prevalence and development of cardiovascular diseases in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).

METHODS

138 GCA patients and 100 controls were evaluated for prevalent cardiovascular diseases in 2012. Cholesterol, lipoproteins and triglycerides, intima-media thickness, arterial stiffness, asymmetric and symmetric dimethylarginine were also measured in 2012. Cardiovascular events, mortality and relapse were retrieved by chart review in 2020.

RESULTS

Prevalent carotid and vertebral artery disease was higher in GCA patients than in controls (p<0.001). GCA patients had higher levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), intermediate-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, apolipoprotein A1 and B, and augmentation index (all with p<0.05). Target LDL levels were less frequently achieved at study inclusion by GCA patients (p=0.001), who developed more frequently new cardiovascular events, also with a higher amount, during follow-up (all with p<0.001). Statin treatment in GCA patients was associated with lower levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine, monocytes and C reactive protein (all with p<0.05). Relapse was independently associated with higher risk of future cardiovascular events (OR 5.01 (95% CI 1.55 to 16.22), p=0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

GCA patients are at a high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Of relevance, there was underuse of statins and a large proportion of these patients showed LDL cholesterol concentrations above the treatment targets for high-risk patients. These data underscore the need for improvement of preventive strategies to reduce cardiovascular risk in GCA patients.

PET-Derived Increased Inflammation in Large Vessels is linked to Relapse-Free Survival in Patients with Giant Cell Arteritis

BACKGROUND

 Despite anti-inflammatory treatment, patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) experience relapse. We aimed to determine respective relapse predictors focusing on [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG)-PET-based parameters.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

 21 therapy-naïve GCA patients received [18F]FDG-PET/CT. Patients were divided in two groups: those who relapsed during course of disease and those who did not. Median follow up was 15 months. [18F]FDG-PET/CT was analyzed for visual (PET vascular activity score [VAS]) and quantitative parameters, including Target-to-background-Ratio with liver (TBRliver) and jugular vein (TBRjv) serving as reference tissues. In addition, clinical parameters were tested.

RESULTS

 8/21 (38.1 %) had relapse. Clinical parameters could not significantly discriminate between relapse vs no-relapse, including age (p = 0.9) or blood-based inflammatory markers (white blood cell counts [WBC] and c-reactive protein [CRP], p = 0.72, each). PETVAS score could also not differentiate between respective subgroups (p = 0.59). In a quantitative assessment, TBRjv demonstrated a trend towards significance (p = 0.28). TBRliver, however, separated between patients with and without relapse (p = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

 [18F]FDG PET quantification of vessels may be useful to identify GCA patients prone to relapse during follow-up.

Cardiovascular risk in vasculitis

The present review summarizes the burden, risk factors, biomarkers of and therapeutic consideration for cardiovascular disease in systemic vasculitis. Ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke are intrinsic features of Kawasaki disease, Takayasu arteritis, Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA), and Behcet's disease. The risk of IHD and stroke is increased in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) and cryoglobulinemic vasculitis. Behcet's disease could present with venous thromboembolism. The risk of venous thromboembolism is increased in AAV, polyarteritis nodosa, and GCA. The risk of cardiovascular events is greatest at or immediately after the diagnosis of AAV or GCA, therefore, controlling vasculitis disease activity is of utmost importance. Traditional as well as disease-related risk factors drive the heightened cardiovascular risk in vasculitis. Aspirin or statins reduce the risk of IHD or stroke in GCA or the risk of IHD in Kawasaki Disease. Venous thromboembolism in Behcet's disease should be treated with immunosuppressive therapy rather than with anticoagulation.

Association of immunological parameters with aortic dilatation in giant cell arteritis: a cross-sectional study

Aortic dilatation (AD) occurs in up to 30% of patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA). Reliable biomarkers for AD development, however, are still absent. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate whether immunological parameters are associated with the occurrence of AD in GCA. Cross-sectional study on 20 GCA patients with AD, 20 GCA patients without AD, and 20 non-GCA controls without AD measuring leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), serum amyloid A (SAA), interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-γ, IFN-γ-induced protein 10 (IP-10), interleukin (IL) 5, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17A, IL-18, IL-1 receptor antagonist, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), L-selectin, P-selectin, and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1). AD was measured by aortic contrast-enhanced computed tomography and defined by enlargement of the aorta above population-based aortic diameters adjusted by age, gender, and body surface area. No significant differences were observed between GCA patients with AD and GCA patients without AD concerning levels of leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, CRP, ESR, SAA, IL-8, IL-18, PDGF, IP-10, selectins, and sICAM-1. Values of IFN-α, IFN-γ, IL-5, IL-10, IL-17A, IL-1 receptor antagonist, and TNF-α were all below the detection limits in more than 70% of subjects. Lymphocytes and CRP revealed positive correlations with the diameter of the thoracic descending aorta. Immunological parameters were not useful to conclude on the presence of AD in GCA. Further studies are required to test if CRP and lymphocytes may be useful to predict future development of AD in GCA.

[Diagnostics and treatment of giant cell arteritis]

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common idiopathic systemic vasculitis in the age group over 50 years. It requires prompt diagnostics and treatment to avoid severe complications, such as visual loss or stroke. The tendency to relapse makes a glucocorticoid (GC) treatment necessary for several years and sometimes lifelong, which increases the risk of GC-induced long-term side effects. Therefore, additive GC-sparing treatment is recommended in the majority of patients. For this purpose, the anti-IL‑6 receptor antibody tocilizumab is available as an approved substance for subcutaneous application; alternatively, methotrexate (MTX) can be used (off-label).

Distribution patterns of arterial affection and the influence of glucocorticoids on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT in patients with giant cell arteritis

Background

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) with the involvement of extracranial vessels is increasingly coming into focus. Isolated aortic involvement in the acute phase of GCA is probably more frequent than estimated because only a minority of patients show typical symptoms. ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT) is a reliable imaging tool to diagnose patients with extracranial GCA. The aim of this retrospective study was to quantify arterial involvement at the onset of a newly diagnosed GCA by PET/CT and to evaluate the influence of glucocorticoid (GC) treatment on the diagnostic performance of this imaging technique.

Methods

The study included 60 patients with GCA at the onset of a GCA. All patients had undergone a PET/CT scan. 44 patients were GC naïve and 16 patients received GC.

Results

The most affected arteries were the ascending aorta (72%), followed by the brachiocephalic trunk (62%), aortic arch (60%) and descending aorta (60%). The aorta and its branches showed an inflammatory involvement in 83.3% of patients. A singular affection of the aorta and the brachiocephalic trunk was revealed in 20% of cases. GC-naïve patients (95.5%) had more frequently affected arteries compared with GC-treated patients (50%).

Conclusion

Our study showed the frequent involvement of the thoracic aorta and brachiocephalic trunk in patients with GCA using PET/CT. Since these vascular compartments cannot be visualised by ultrasound, we advocate screening imaging of the aorta with PET/CT when GCA is suspected. Because the use of GC is associated with a marked decrease in the inflamed vascular segment in GCA, PET/CT should be performed as soon as possible.

Patients' Baseline Characteristics, but Not Tocilizumab Exposure, Affect Severe Outcomes Onset in Giant Cell Arteritis: A Real-World Study

Objectives: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is associated with severe outcomes such as infections and cardiovascular diseases. We describe here the impact of GCA patients’ characteristics and treatment exposure on the occurrence of severe outcomes. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from real-world GCA patients with a minimum of six-months follow-up. We recorded severe outcomes and treatment exposure. In the survival analysis, we studied the predictive factors of severe outcomes occurrence, including treatment exposure (major glucocorticoids (GCs) exposure (>10 g of the cumulative dose) and tocilizumab (TCZ) exposure), as time-dependent covariates. Results: Among the 77 included patients, 26% were overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2). The mean cumulative dose of GCs was 7977 ± 4585 mg, 18 patients (23%) had a major GCs exposure, and 40 (52%) received TCZ. Over the 48-month mean follow-up period, 114 severe outcomes occurred in 77% of the patients: infections—29%, cardiovascular diseases—18%, hypertension—15%, fractural osteoporosis—8%, and deaths—6%. Baseline diabetes and overweight were predictive factors of severe outcomes onset (HR, 2.41 [1.05−5.55], p = 0.039; HR, 2.08 [1.14−3.81], p = 0.018, respectively) independently of age, sex, hypertension, and treatment exposure. Conclusion: Diabetic and overweight GCA patients constitute an at-risk group requiring tailored treatment, including vaccination. The effect of TCZ exposure on the reduction of severe outcomes was not proved here.

An Updated Review of Cardiovascular Events in Giant Cell Arteritis

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a systemic vasculitis with a direct and indirect increased risk of acute and chronic vascular events, affecting large and medium vessels, and responsible for most of the morbidity and mortality of this disease. We aimed in this review to provide an updated synthesis of knowledge regarding cardiovascular events observed in GCA. By definition, GCA patients are over 50 and often over 70 years old, and subsequently also present age-related cardiovascular risk factors. In addition, the systemic and vascular inflammation as well as glucocorticoids (GC) probably contribute to an accelerated atherosclerosis and to vascular changes leading to arterial stenoses and aortic dilations and/or dissections. GCA-related ischemic complications, especially ophthalmologic events, stroke or myocardial infarcts are mostly observed within the first months after the diagnosis, being mainly linked to the vasculitic process. Conversely, aortic complications, including dilations or dissections, generally occur several months or years after the diagnosis, mainly in patients with large-vessel vasculitis. In these patients, other factors such as atherosclerosis, GC-related endothelial damage and vascular wall remodeling/healing probably contribute to the vascular events. GCA management includes the detection and treatment of these previous and newly induced cardiovascular risk factors. Hence, the use of cardiovascular treatments (e.g., aspirin, anticoagulation, statins, anti-hypertensive treatments) should be evaluated individually. Aortic structural changes require regular morphologic evaluations, especially in patients with previous aortitis. The initial or secondary addition of immunosuppressants, especially tocilizumab, an anti-IL-6 receptor antibody, is discussed in patients with GCA-related cardiovascular complications and, more consensually, to limit GC-mediated comorbidities.

EULAR recommendations for cardiovascular risk management in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome

OBJECTIVE

To develop recommendations for cardiovascular risk (CVR) management in gout, vasculitis, systemic sclerosis (SSc), myositis, mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), Sjögren's syndrome (SS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS).

METHODS

Following European League against Rheumatism (EULAR) standardised procedures, a multidisciplinary task force formulated recommendations for CVR prediction and management based on systematic literature reviews and expert opinion.

RESULTS

Four overarching principles emphasising the need of regular screening and management of modifiable CVR factors and patient education were endorsed. Nineteen recommendations (eleven for gout, vasculitis, SSc, MCTD, myositis, SS; eight for SLE, APS) were developed covering three topics: (1) CVR prediction tools; (2) interventions on traditional CVR factors and (3) interventions on disease-related CVR factors. Several statements relied on expert opinion because high-quality evidence was lacking. Use of generic CVR prediction tools is recommended due to lack of validated rheumatic diseases-specific tools. Diuretics should be avoided in gout and beta-blockers in SSc, and a blood pressure target <130/80 mm Hg should be considered in SLE. Lipid management should follow general population guidelines, and antiplatelet use in SLE, APS and large-vessel vasculitis should follow prior EULAR recommendations. A serum uric acid level <0.36 mmol/L (<6 mg/dL) in gout, and disease activity control and glucocorticoid dose minimisation in SLE and vasculitis, are recommended. Hydroxychloroquine is recommended in SLE because it may also reduce CVR, while no particular immunosuppressive treatment in SLE or urate-lowering therapy in gout has been associated with CVR lowering.

CONCLUSION

These recommendations can guide clinical practice and future research for improving CVR management in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

Increased risk of thoracic aortic complications among patients with giant cell arteritis: a nationwide, population-based cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To assess the risk of aortic aneurysms (AA), aortic dissections (AD) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) among patients with GCA.

METHODS

In this nationwide, population-based cohort study using Danish national health registries, we identified all incident GCA patients ≥50 years between 1996 and 2018 who redeemed three or more prescriptions for prednisolone. Index date was the date of redeeming the third prednisolone prescription. Case definition robustness was checked through sensitivity analysis. We included general population referents matched 1:10 by age, sex and calendar time. Using a pseudo-observation approach, we calculated 5-, 10- and 15-year cumulative incidence proportions (CIP) and relative risks (RR) of AA, AD and PAD with death as a competing risk.

RESULTS

We included 9908 GCA patients and 98 204 referents. The 15-year CIP of thoracic AA, abdominal AA, AD and PAD in the GCA cohort were 1.9% (95% CI 1.5, 2.2), 1.8% (1.4-2.2), 1.0% (0.7-1.2) and 4.8% (4.2-5.3). Compared with the referents, the 15-year RR were 11.2 (7.41-16.9) for thoracic AA, 6.86 (4.13-11.4) for AD, 1.04 (0.83-1.32) for abdominal AA and 1.53 (1.35-1.74) for PAD. Among GCA patients, female sex, age below 70 years and positive temporal artery findings were risk factors for developing thoracic AA. The median time to thoracic AA was 7.5 years (interquartile range 4.4-11.2) with a number needed to be screened of 250 (167-333), 91 (71-111) and 53 (45-67) after 5, 10 and 15 years.

CONCLUSION

Patients with GCA have a markedly increased risk of developing thoracic AA and AD, but no increased risk of abdominal AA.

Real-life analysis of the causes of death in patients consecutively followed for giant cell arteritis in a French centre of expertise

OBJECTIVES

To describe, in a real-life setting, the direct causes of death in a cohort of consecutive patients with GCA.

METHODS

We retrospectively analysed the deaths that occurred in a cohort of 470 consecutive GCA patients from a centre of expertise between January 2000 and December 2019. Among the 120 patients who died, we retrieved data from the medical files of 101 patients.

RESULTS

Cardiovascular events were the dominant cause of death (n = 41, 41%) followed by infections (n = 22, 22%), geriatric situations (i.e. falls or senile deterioration; n = 17, 17%) and cancers (n = 15, 15%). Patients in each of these four groups were compared with the other deceased patients pooled together. Patients who died from cardiovascular events were more frequently male (46 vs 27%; P = 0.04) with a past history of coronary artery disease (29 vs 8%; P = 0.006). Patients who died from infections mostly had ongoing glucocorticoid treatment (82 vs 53%; P = 0.02) with higher cumulative doses (13 994 vs 9150 mg; P = 0.03). Patients who died from geriatric causes more frequently had osteoporosis (56 vs 17%; P = 0.0009) and had mostly discontinued glucocorticoid treatment (76 vs 33%; P = 0.001). The predictive factors of death in multivariate analysis were a history of coronary disease [hazard ratio (HR) 2.39; 95% CI 1.27, 4.21; P = 0.008], strokes at GCA diagnosis (HR 2.54; 95% CI 1.05, 5.24; P = 0.04), any infection during follow-up (HR 1.93; 95% CI 1.24, 2.98; P = 0.004) and fever at GCA diagnosis (HR 1.99; 95% CI 1.16, 3.28; P = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Our study provides real-life insight on the cause-specific mortality in GCA patients.

Systemic autoimmune disease as a cause of death: mortality burden and comorbidities

Objectives

Systemic autoimmune diseases (SAIDs) have chronic trajectories and share characteristics of self-directed inflammation, as well as aspects of clinical expression. Nonetheless, burden-of-disease studies rarely investigate them as a distinct category. This study aims to assess the mortality rate of SAIDs as a group and to evaluate co-occurring causes of death.

Methods

We used death certificate data in the Netherlands, 2013–2017 (N = 711 247), and constructed a SAIDs list at the fourth-position ICD-10 level. The mortality rate of SAIDs as underlying cause of death (CoD), non-underlying CoD, and any-mention CoD was calculated. We estimated age-sex-standardized observed/expected (O/E) ratios to assess comorbidities in deaths with SAID relative to the general deceased population.

Results

We observed 3335 deaths with SAID on their death certificate (0.47% of all deaths). The mortality rate of SAID was 14.6 per million population as underlying CoD, 28.0 as non-underlying CoD, and 39.7 as any-mention CoD. The mortality rate was higher for females and increased exponentially with age. SAID-related deaths were positively associated with all comorbidities except for solid neoplasms and mental conditions. Particularly strong was the association with diseases of the musculoskeletal system (O/E = 3.38; 95% CI: 2.98, 3.82), other diseases of the genitourinary system (O/E = 2.73; 95% CI: 2.18, 3.38), influenza (O/E = 2.71; 95% CI: 1.74, 4.03), blood diseases (O/E = 2.02; 95% CI: 1.70, 2.39), skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases (O/E = 1.95; 95% CI: 1.54, 2.45), and infectious diseases (O/E = 1.85; 95% CI: 1.70, 2.01).

Conclusion

Systemic autoimmune diseases constitute a rare group of causes of death, but contribute to mortality through multiple comorbidities. Classification systems could be adapted to better encompass these diseases as a category.

Steroid-sparing effect of anakinra in giant-cell arteritis: a case series with clinical, biological and iconographic long-term assessments

OBJECTIVES

The treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA) relies on corticosteroids but is burdened by a high rate of relapses and adverse effects. Anti-interleukin-6 treatments show a clear benefit with a significant steroid-sparing effect, but late relapses occur after treatment discontinuation. In addition to interleukin-6, interleukin-1 also appears to play a significant role in GCA pathophysiology. We report herein the efficacy of anakinra, an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, in 6 GCA patients exhibiting corticosteroid dependence or resistance, specifically analyzing the outcome of aortitis in 4 of them.

METHODS

This retrospective study analyzed the cases of all GCA patients treated with anakinra from the French Study Group for Large Vessel Vasculitis.

RESULTS

After a median duration of anakinra therapy of 19 [18-32] months, all 6 patients exhibited complete clinical and biological remission. Among the 4 patients with large-vessel involvement, 2 had a disappearance of aortitis under anakinra, and 2 showed a decrease in vascular uptake. After a median follow-up of 56 [48-63] months, corticosteroids were discontinued in 4 patients, and corticosteroid dosage could be decreased to 5 mg/day in 2 patients. One patient relapsed 13 months after anakinra introduction in the context of increasing the daily anakinra injection interval to every 48 hours. Three patients experienced transient injection-site reactions, and 1 patient had pneumonia.

CONCLUSION

In this short series, anakinra appears to be an efficient and safe steroid-sparing agent in refractory GCA, with a possible beneficial effect on large-vessel involvement.

Giant cell arteritis-related aortic dissection: A multicenter retrospective study

PURPOSE

To describe characteristics and outcomes of patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA)-related aortic dissection.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively included, through a nationwide GCA network, all patients who had an aortic dissection either revealing GCA or occurring during follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 46 patients were included in this study. Aortic dissection was inaugural and led to GCA diagnosis in 21 patients, whereas it occurred during follow-up in the 25 others, at a median of 53 [1-265] months after GCA diagnosis. Large-vessel vasculitis (LVV) was diagnosed through imaging before or at the time of aortic dissection in 31 (67%) patients. In patients who developed an aortic dissection during follow-up, the aortic event occurred 22 [1-143] months post GCA diagnosis in the patients with previous aortitis, whereas it occurred after 72 [19-265] months in patients without previously diagnosed aortitis (p = 0.005). Aortic surgery was performed in 27 (59%) patients and 23 of them survived. A total of 15 (32%) patients died following the aortic dissection, including 11 who were not operated on. In a multivariate analysis, aortic surgery was the single predictor of survival (HR: 4.3; 95% CI: 1.47- 15.7; p = 0.007).

CONCLUSION

Patients with prior LVV are more prone to develop early aortic dissection and require close monitoring of aortic morphology. One third of patients died from the aortic dissection. Surgery remains the best predictive factor for survival.

Giant Cell Arteritis and Cardiac Comorbidity

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a large vessel vasculitis with a pathogenesis that involves two CD4 T-helper cell lineages, Th1 and Th17. The goal of GCA treatment is to achieve clinical remission and prevent complications, especially vision loss. Despite recent advances in treatment and diagnostic modalities for GCA, there continues to be a gap in the medical literature in addressing treatment and follow-up for patients with GCA after clinical remission is achieved. Of the most important issues to address in this patient population by rheumatologists and primary care physicians alike, is that of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks in GCA patients associated with the vasculitis and its mainstay of treatment with high-dose glucocorticoids over a prolonged period of time. Physicians must be aware of the CVD events that have been observed in a higher proportion compared to the general population in GCA patients, including strokes, thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections, myocardial infarctions, and peripheral vascular disease. This review will focus on the risk of CVD in GCA patients, with recommendations for management and follow-up.

One Giant Step for Giant Cell Arteritis: Updates in Diagnosis and Treatment

Purpose of Review

Giant cell arteritis (GCA), a medium and large vessel vasculitis occurring in the aged, remains a formidable disease, capable of taking both vision and life, through a multitude of vascular complications. Our understanding of the spectrum of its manifestations has grown over the years, to include limb claudication, aortitis, and cardiac disease, in addition to the more classic visual complications resulting from of ischemia to branches of the external and internal carotid arteries. While a clinical presentation of headache, jaw claudication, scalp tenderness, fever and other systemic symptoms and serum markers are together highly suggestive of the disease, diagnosis can be challenging in those cases in which classic symptoms are lacking. The purpose of this review is to update the reader on advances in the diagnosis and treatment of giant cell arteritis and to review our evolving understanding of the immunological mechanism underlying the disease, which have helped guide our search for novel therapies.

Recent Findings

There is increasing evidence supporting the use of Doppler ultrasound, dedicated post-contrast T1-weighted spin echo MRI of the scalp arteries and PET scan, which can together improve our diagnostic accuracy in cases in which temporal artery biopsy is either inconclusive or not feasible. Advances in our understanding of the immunological cascades underlying the disease have helped guide our search for steroid-sparing treatments for the GCA, the most important of which has been the IL-6 receptor antibody inhibitor tocilizumab, which has been shown to reduce cumulative steroid dose in a large multicenter, placebo-controlled prospective study. Other biologic agents, such as abatacept and ustekinumab have shown promise in smaller studies.

Summary

GCA is no longer a disease whose diagnosis is based exclusively on temporal artery biopsy and whose complications are prevented solely with the use of corticosteroids. Modern vascular imaging techniques and targeted immunologic therapies are heralding a new era for the disease, in which practitioners will hopefully be able to diagnosis it with greater accuracy and treat it with less ischemic complications and iatrogenic side effects.

Improving quality of life in vasculitis patients

Systemic vasculitis are a complex cluster of diseases with high associated morbidity. As disease-related mortality diminishes, the cumulative impact of poor health-related quality of life becomes more pertinent to patients than the initial pathological insult. In this article we explore health-related quality of life in ANCA-associated vasculitis, large-vessel vasculitis and therapeutic strategies that may enhance this critical outcome.

Giant cell arteritis-related aortitis with positive or negative temporal artery biopsy: a French multicentre study

Objective: To compare the clinical presentation and outcome of giant cell arteritis (GCA)-related aortitis according to the results of temporal artery biopsy (TAB).Method: Patients with GCA-related aortitis diagnosed between 2000 and 2017, who underwent TAB, were retrospectively included from a French multicentre database. They all met at least three American College of Rheumatology criteria for the diagnosis of GCA. Aortitis was defined by aortic wall thickening > 2 mm on computed tomography scan and/or an aortic aneurysm, associated with an inflammatory syndrome. Patients were divided into two groups [positive and negative TAB (TAB+, TAB-)], which were compared regarding aortic imaging characteristics and aortic events, at aortitis diagnosis and during follow-up.Results: We included 56 patients with TAB+ (70%) and 24 with TAB- (30%). At aortitis diagnosis, patients with TAB- were significantly younger than those with TAB+ (67.7 ± 9 vs 72.3 ± 7 years, p = 0.022). Initial clinical signs of GCA, inflammatory parameters, and glucocorticoid therapy were similar in both groups. Coronary artery disease and/or lower limb peripheral arterial disease was more frequent in TAB- patients (25% vs 5.3%, p = 0.018). Aortic wall thickness and type of aortic involvement were not significantly different between groups. Diffuse arterial involvement from the aortic arch was more frequent in TAB- patients (29.1 vs 8.9%, p = 0.03). There were no differences between the groups regarding overall, aneurism-free, relapse-free, and aortic event-free survival.Conclusion: Among patients with GCA-related aortitis, those with TAB- are characterized by younger age and increased frequency of diffuse arterial involvement from the aortic arch compared to those with TAB+, without significant differences in terms of prognosis.

Data linkage analysis of giant cell arteritis in Italy: Healthcare burden and cost of illness in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia (2001-2017)

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common vasculitis in adults. However, comprehensive analyses of the healthcare burden are still scarce. The aim of the study is to report the healthcare burden and cost of illness of GCA in the Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) region of Italy, based on a data linkage analysis. To this end, a retrospective study was conducted through the integration of many administrative health databases of the FVG region as the source of information. Cases were identified from two verified, partially overlapping sources (the rare disease registry and medical exemption database). From 2001 to 2017, 208 patients with GCA were registered. The prevalence of GCA in the population aged ⩾ 45 years as of December 31, 2017 was 27.2/100,000 inhabitants (95% CI 23.5-31.4). The mean time of observation was 4.5 ± 3.6 years. A total of 3182 visits (338 per 100 patient-years) was recorded. The most frequent specialty visits were rheumatology (n = 610, 19.2%), followed by internal medicine (n = 564, 17.7%). A total of 287 hospitalizations (30 per 100 patient-years) were reported. A total of 13,043 prescriptions (1386 per 100 patient-years) were registered. More than half of the patients were prescribed an immunosuppressive agent. The overall estimated direct healthcare cost was €2,234,070, corresponding to €2374 per patient-year. Overall, GCA is a rare disease which implies a high healthcare cost.

[Giant cell arteritis: Ischemic complications]

GCA ischemic complications occur generally in patients with a yet undiagnosed or uncontrolled disease. When disease control is fair, ischemic complications may be due mostly to atheromatosis. Ophtalmic complications are most frequent and are dominated by anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. Vasculitic strokes occur essentially in the vertebrobasilar arterial territory. Overt vasculitic coronary disease is exceptional. The diagnosis of upper and lower limbs ischemic complications benefit from advances in echography (halo sign) and positron emission tomography imaging. Treatment relies on corticosteroids (initially 1mg/kg prednisone or more, preceded by intravenous methylprednisolone gigadoses if necessary), the control of cardiovascular risk factors and antiplatelet drugs; heparin may be indicated for threatening limbs ischemia.

Survival and death causes of patients with giant cell arteritis in Western Norway 1972-2012: a retrospective cohort study

Background

Our objective was to determine the survival and causes of death in a large and well-characterized cohort of patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).

Methods

This is a hospital-based, retrospective, observational cohort study including patients diagnosed with GCA in Western Norway during 1972–2012. Patients were identified through computerized hospital records using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-coding system. Medical records were reviewed. Patients were randomly assigned population controls matched on age, sex, and geography from the Central Population Registry of Norway (CPRN). Date and cause of death were obtained from the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry (NCoDR). The survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods with the Gehan-Breslow test and the causes of death using cumulative incidence and Cox models for competing risks.

Results

We identified 881 cases with a clinical diagnosis of GCA of which 792 fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1990 classification criteria. Among those fulfilling the ACR criteria, 528 were also biopsy-verified. Cases were matched with 2577 population controls. A total of 490 (56%) GCA patients and 1517 (59%) controls died during the study period. We found no difference in the overall survival of GCA patients compared to controls, p = 0.413. The most frequent underlying causes of death in both groups were diseases of the circulatory system followed by cancer. GCA patients had increased risk of dying of circulatory disease (HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.13–1.51, p < 0.001) but lower risk of dying of cancer (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.42–0.73, p < 0.001) compared to population controls.

Conclusions

We found no difference in the overall survival of GCA patients compared to matched controls, but there were differences in the distribution of underlying death causes.

Neural network and logistic regression diagnostic prediction models for giant cell arteritis: development and validation

PURPOSE

To develop and validate neural network (NN) vs logistic regression (LR) diagnostic prediction models in patients with suspected giant cell arteritis (GCA). Design: Multicenter retrospective chart review.

METHODS

An audit of consecutive patients undergoing temporal artery biopsy (TABx) for suspected GCA was conducted at 14 international medical centers. The outcome variable was biopsy-proven GCA. The predictor variables were age, gender, headache, clinical temporal artery abnormality, jaw claudication, vision loss, diplopia, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and platelet level. The data were divided into three groups to train, validate, and test the models. The NN model with the lowest false-negative rate was chosen. Internal and external validations were performed.

RESULTS

Of 1,833 patients who underwent TABx, there was complete information on 1,201 patients, 300 (25%) of whom had a positive TABx. On multivariable LR age, platelets, jaw claudication, vision loss, log C-reactive protein, log erythrocyte sedimentation rate, headache, and clinical temporal artery abnormality were statistically significant predictors of a positive TABx (P≤0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve/Hosmer-Lemeshow P for LR was 0.867 (95% CI, 0.794, 0.917)/0.119 vs NN 0.860 (95% CI, 0.786, 0.911)/0.805, with no statistically significant difference of the area under the curves (P=0.316). The misclassification rate/false-negative rate of LR was 20.6%/47.5% vs 18.1%/30.5% for NN. Missing data analysis did not change the results.

CONCLUSION

Statistical models can aid in the triage of patients with suspected GCA. Misclassification remains a concern, but cutoff values for 95% and 99% sensitivities are provided (https://goo.gl/THCnuU).

Concomitant association of giant cell arteritis and malignancy: a multicenter retrospective case-control study

INTRODUCTION

Some studies suggest that there is an increased risk of malignancies in giant cell arteritis (GCA). We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of GCA patients with concomitant malignancy and compare them to a GCA control group.

METHOD

Patients with a diagnosis of GCA and malignancy and with a maximal delay of 12 months between both diagnoses were retrospectively included in this study and compared to a control group of age-matched (3:1) patients from a multicenter cohort of GCA patients.

RESULTS

Forty-nine observations were collected (median age 76 years). Malignancies comprised 33 (67%) solid neoplasms and 16 (33%) clonal hematologic disorders. No over-representation of a particular type of malignancy was observed. Diagnosis of GCA and malignancy was synchronous in 7 (14%) patients, while malignancy succeeded GCA in 29 (59%) patients. Malignancy was fortuitously diagnosed based on abnormalities observed in laboratory tests in 26 patients, based on imaging in 14 patients, and based on symptoms or clinical examination in the nine remaining patients. Two patients had a concomitant relapse of both conditions. When compared to the control group, patients with concomitant GCA and malignancy were more frequently male (p < 0.001), with an altered general state (p < 0.001), and polymyalgia rheumatica (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

This study does not indicate an over-representation of any particular type of malignancy in GCA patients. Initial follow-up dictated by vasculitis may have led to an early identification of malignancy. Nevertheless, GCA male patients with an altered general state and polymyalgia rheumatica might more frequently show concomitant malignancies.

Giant-cell arteritis-related mortality in France: A multiple-cause-of-death analysis

OBJECTIVES

Giant-cell arteritis (GCA) is a large vessel vasculitis. Data regarding mortality are controversial. We describe the mortality data of the French death certificates for the period of 2005 to 2014.

METHODS

Using multiple-cause-of-death (MCOD) analysis, we calculated age-adjusted mortality rates for GCA, examined differences in mortality rates according to age and gender and analyzed the underlying causes of death (UCD).

RESULTS

We analyzed 4628 death certificates listing a diagnosis of GCA as UCD or non-underlying cause of death (NUCD). The mean age of death was 86 (±6.8) years. The overall age-standardized mortality rate among GCA patients was 7.2 per million population. Throughout the study period, the mean age of death was significantly increased (r = 0.17, p < .0001) in both genders. There was no significant difference with age repartition of death in the general population (p = .26). When GCA was listed as the UCD, most frequent associated diseases were cardiovascular (79%) and infectious diseases (35%). When GCA was reported as the NUCD, the listed UCD was a cardiovascular event in 40% of cases, neoplasm in 13%, neurodegenerative disorder in 11% and infectious disease in 10%. When GCA was the UCD or NUCD, an age-adjusted observed/expected ratio > 1 in GCA-associated mortality compared with the general population mortality was observed for tuberculosis, pneumonia and cardiovascular diseases.

CONCLUSION

In this analysis of French death certificates mentioning GCA, we observed a stable standardized mortality rate between 2005 and 2014. The most frequent associated diseases were cardiovascular diseases and infections.