Giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica in northwestern Turkey: Clinical features and epidemiological data

In this study, we evaluated clinical and epidemiologic features of our giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) patients.

We retrospectively recorded down the general features of patients with GCA and PMR diagnosed at our center within the last 6 years. The incidence rates per 100000 aged > or =50 were calculated. In addition, we reported the frequencies of GCA/PMR in our previous epidemiologic study.

Nineteen patients were diagnosed with GCA (10F, 9M) and 53 with isolated PMR (39F, 14M). The annual incidence for GCA in subjects > or =50 years old was 1.13/100000, and for PMR it was 3.15/100000. The incidence of GCA and PMR in females were, respectively, 1.14/100000 and 4.48/100000. In males, the incidences of GCA and PMR were, respectively, calculated as 1.1/100000 and 1.72/100000. In our population-based study, the prevalences of GCA and PMR (> or =50 ages) were estimated as 20/100000. Fourteen (73.7%) GCA patients had symptoms of PMR. Two patients had developed unilateral and one patient bilateral permanent visual loss. Initial ESR was lower than 40 mm/hr in one GCA patient (5.3%) and in 6 PMR patients (11.3%). The median duration of follow-up was 16 months in GCA; and 8 months in PMR patients. One patient with PMR and another patient with GCA had lung cancer. One PMR patient had myelodysplastic syndrome. During follow-up, 4 patients with GCA died.

We detected a lower frequency of GCA/PMR in our center in northwestern Turkey than in Scandinavian and southern European countries.