Comparison of various clinical and laboratory variables in patients with GCA with PVL and without (univariate analysis). Values are n (%) unless otherwise specified.
| Variable | Number Assessed | Patients with PVL, n = 53 | Patients without PVL, n = 286 | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs, mean (SD) | 339 | 78.7 (5.7) | 75 (7.8) | < 0.001 |
| Male | 339 | 14 (26) | 104 (36) | 0.16 |
| At least 1 CVRF | 339 | 32 (60) | 21 (40) | 0.10 |
| Symptomatic arteriosclerosis | 339 | 11 (21) | 34 (12) | 0.08 |
| Acute-onset GCA | 331 | 30 (58) | 97 (35) | < 0.01 |
| Delay in diagnosis, days, mean (SD) | 333 | 44.1 (44.3) | 94.8 (138.4) | < 0.0001 |
| Abnormal temporal artery | 332 | 41 (82) | 180 (64) | 0.01 |
| Fever, ≥ 38°C | 333 | 10 (20) | 139 (49) | < 0.0001 |
| Rheumatic symptoms | 338 | 9 (17) | 104 (36.5) | < 0.01 |
| Facial swelling | 302 | 7 (13.5) | 29 (10) | 0.48 |
| Jaw claudication | 337 | 29 (55) | 103 (36) | 0.01 |
| Trismus | 334 | 17 (33) | 60 (21) | 0.06 |
| Upper limb artery involvement | 337 | 3 (6) | 37 (13) | 0.13 |
| TVIS recent history | 334 | 22 (41.5) | 55 (20) | < 0.001 |
| ESR, mm/h, mean (SD) | 323 | 84 (25.4) | 91.1 (28.3) | 0.06 |
| ESR between 70 and 100 mm/h | 323 | 20 (40) | 102 (37) | 0.72 |
| CRP, mg/l, mean (SD) | 302 | 78.3 (59.1) | 100.5 (67.3) | 0.04 |
| Fibrinogen, g/l, mean (SD) | 227 | 6.45 (1.8) | 6.61 (1.8) | 0.79 |
| Hemoglobin, g/dl, mean (SD) | 321 | 11.88 (1.59) | 11.27 (1.66) | 0.01 |
| Albumin, g/l, mean (SD) | 270 | 33.6 (6.35) | 33.7 (5.58) | 0.97 |
| Leukocyte counts, g/l, mean (SD) | 318 | 10228 (3424) | 9084 (3074) | 0.01 |
| Platelet count, g/l, mean (SD) | 309 | 489.4 (140) | 444.3 (161.4) | 0.02 |
| Liver enzyme abnormalities | 270 | 11 (33) | 97 (41) | 0.40 |
| IgG-aCL positivity | 213 | 6 (21) | 62 (34) | 0.16 |
| Initial prednisone dose, mg/kg/day, mean (SD) | 338 | 0.98 (0.10) | 0.74 (0.15) | < 0.0001 |
| Initial use of pulse methylprednisolone, mean (SD) | 339 | 41 (77) | 42 (15) | 0.0001 |
GCA: giant cell arteritis; PVL: permanent visual loss; CVRF: cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, smoking); TVIS: transient visual ischemic symptoms (amaurosis fugax, transiently blurred vision, visual hallucinations); ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP: C-reactive protein; IgG: immunoglobulin G; aCL: anticardiolipin antibodies.