Clinical Pearls and Myths in Vasculitis
Clinical Pearls and Myths in Vasculitis
Clinical Pearls and Myths in Vasculitis
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Giant Cell Arteritis: MythLiterature from the 1970s <strong>and</strong> most of the 1980s suggestedthat GCA was a relatively benign disease that requiredtherapy for as little as 6 months <strong>and</strong> for as long as 2 years atthe mostDur<strong>in</strong>g the late 1980s <strong>and</strong> 1990s, we learned that GCA isassociated with a high relapse rate (32%-65% with<strong>in</strong> the firstyear of therapy), often requires cont<strong>in</strong>uous or repeatedcourses of corticosteroids, <strong>and</strong> is associated withconsiderable morbidity from the treatment as well as thedisease1. ChmelewskiW, McKnight K, Agudelo C, et al: Present<strong>in</strong>g features <strong>and</strong> outcomes <strong>in</strong> patients undergo<strong>in</strong>g temporal artery biopsy: Areview of 98 patients. Arch Intern Med 152:1690-95,19922. Proven A, Gabriel S, OFallon M, et al: Long-term outcome of corticosteroid therapy <strong>in</strong> a population-based study of giant cell arteritis(GCA), 1950-1991. Arthritis Rheum42(suppl):219, 1999
Change language