Giant cell arteritis. A five-year review of biopsy-proven cases in a teaching hospital

Twenty-five patients with biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis (GCA) were treated at the Royal Adelaide Hospital from 1973 to 1978. Three patients had a normal ESR on presentation. Four patients developed monocular blindness, one had gangrene of the tongue, and one had a brain-stem stroke. Six patients had concurrent autoimmune thyroid disease, one suffered from myasthenia gravis and one had ulcerative colitis--a significant observation in view of the suggestion that GCA has an immunological basis.