RMD Open (Mar 2024)

Incidence and clinical manifestations of giant cell arteritis in Spain: results of the ARTESER register

  • ,
  • Santos Castañeda,
  • Ricardo Blanco,
  • Héctor Corominas,
  • Patricia Carreira,
  • Ivan Castellví,
  • Eugenio De Miguel,
  • Javier Narváez,
  • Judit LLuch,
  • Ivette Casafont-Solé,
  • Jose María Pego,
  • Lydia Abasolo,
  • Carmen Larena,
  • Francisco Ortiz-Sanjuán,
  • Clara Moriano Morales,
  • Elvira Díez Álvarez,
  • Miguel Ángel González-Gay,
  • Berta Magallares,
  • Monica Ibañez Barcelo,
  • Laura Garrido Courel,
  • Vanesa Hernandez Hernandez,
  • Patricia Moya Alvarado,
  • Anne Riveros Frutos,
  • Margarida Vasques Rocha,
  • María Alcalde Villar,
  • Antonio Juan Mas,
  • Julio Sanchez,
  • Joan Calvet,
  • Clara Molina Almela,
  • Amalia Rueda Cid,
  • Cristina Campos Fernández,
  • Carmen Riesco Bárcena,
  • Patricia Moran Alvarez,
  • Judit Font Urgelles,
  • Alejandro Muñoz Jiménez,
  • Delia Fernández-Lozano,
  • Iñigo Hernández-Rodríguez,
  • Marta Domínguez-Álvaro,
  • Maite Silva-Díaz,
  • Joaquín María Belzunegui,
  • Eva Galíndez-Agirregoikoa,
  • Vicente Aldaroso,
  • Javier Loricera,
  • Noemi Garrido-Puñal,
  • Vanessa Andrea Navarro,
  • Tarek Carlos Salman Monte,
  • Trinidad Pérez Sandoval,
  • Ismael González Fernández,
  • Javier Mendizábal-Mateos,
  • María Concepción Fito Manteca,
  • Natividad del Val del Amo,
  • Loreto Horcada Rubio,
  • Inmaculada Paniagua Zudaire,
  • Ricardo Gutiérrez Polo,
  • Juliana Restrepo Vélez,
  • Eduardo Loza Cortina,
  • Elisa Fernández Fernández,
  • Tomás Almorza,
  • Leticia Léon Mateos,
  • Luis Rodríguez Rodríguez,
  • Pia Mercedes Lois Bermejo,
  • Selene Labrada Arrabal,
  • Susana Holgado Pérez,
  • Jordi Camins,
  • Javier Calvo Catalá,
  • Rafael Benito Melero,
  • Francisco Maceiras,
  • Nair Pérez,
  • Ceferino Barbazán,
  • Irena Altabás,
  • John Guzman,
  • Paula Valentina Estrada Alarcón,
  • Ana Milena Millán,
  • AnaF Cruz Valenciano,
  • Félix Cabero del Pozo,
  • AnaBelén Rodríguez Cambrón,
  • Cristina Macia Villa,
  • Inmaculada Ros Vilamajó,
  • Elide Toniolo,
  • Ana Paula Cacheda,
  • María Sagrario Bustabad Reyes,
  • María García González,
  • Alicia García Dorta,
  • Jaime Calvo Allen,
  • Miren Uriarte-Ecenarro,
  • Cristina Valero Martínez,
  • Esther F Vicente Rabaneda,
  • Carlos García Porrúa,
  • Carlota Laura Iñiguez Ubiaga,
  • Noelia Álvarez Rivas,
  • Tomás Ramón Vázquez Rodríguez,
  • José Alberto Miranda Filloy,
  • Amalia Sánchez-Andrade Fernández,
  • Carlos Galisteo Lencastre Da Veiga,
  • María Jesús García Villanueva,
  • Marina Tortosa Cabañas,
  • Marta Serrano Warleta,
  • Aliuska Palomeque Vargas,
  • Alberto Ruiz Román,
  • Clara Aguilera Cros,
  • JoséA Román Ivorra,
  • Anderson Huaylla,
  • Itziar Calvo Zorrilla,
  • Jesús A Valero-Jaimes,
  • Luis López Domínguez,
  • Cesar Antonio Egues Dubuc,
  • Lucia Silva Fernández

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1136/rmdopen-2023-003824
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 1

Abstract

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Objective This study aimed to estimate the incidence of giant cell arteritis (GCA) in Spain and to analyse its clinical manifestations, and distribution by age group, sex, geographical area and season.Methods We included all patients diagnosed with GCA between 1 June 2013 and 29 March 2019 at 26 hospitals of the National Health System. They had to be aged ≥50 years and have at least one positive results in an objective diagnostic test (biopsy or imaging techniques), meet 3/5 of the 1990 American College of Rheumatology classification criteria or have a clinical diagnosis based on the expert opinion of the physician in charge. We calculated incidence rate using Poisson regression and assessed the influence of age, sex, geographical area and season.Results We identified 1675 cases of GCA with a mean age at diagnosis of 76.9±8.3 years. The annual incidence was estimated at 7.42 (95% CI 6.57 to 8.27) cases of GCA per 100 000 people ≥50 years with a peak for patients aged 80–84 years (23.06 (95% CI 20.89 to 25.4)). The incidence was greater in women (10.06 (95% CI 8.7 to 11.5)) than in men (4.83 (95% CI 3.8 to 5.9)). No significant differences were found between geographical distribution and incidence throughout the year (p=0.125). The phenotypes at diagnosis were cranial in 1091 patients, extracranial in 337 patients and mixed in 170 patients.Conclusions This is the first study to estimate the incidence of GCA in Spain at a national level. We found a predominance among women and during the ninth decade of life with no clear variability according to geographical area or seasons of the year.