Symptoms of active giant cell arteritis during all 59 relapses, and by prednisone dose at time of relapse. Values expressed as no. relapses with the symptom recorded divided by total no. relapses at that dose of prednisone (%). Steroid data were unavailable in 2 relapses.
| Symptoms | All, n = 59 | Prednisone, 0 mg, n =11 | Prednisone, 1–10 mg, n = 32 | Prednisone, 11–20 mg, n = 11 | Prednisone, > 20 mg, n = 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranial | |||||
| Headache | 25 (42) | 1 (9) | 12 (38) | 8 (73) | 3 (100) |
| Scalp tenderness | 19 (32) | 0 (0) | 7 (22) | 9 (82) | 2 (67) |
| New temporal artery pain | 6 (10) | 0 (0) | 2 (6) | 2 (18) | 2 (67) |
| Carotidynia | 2 (3) | 0 (0) | 2 (6) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Jaw/tongue claudication | 8 (14) | 1 (9) | 4 (13) | 3 (27) | 0 (0) |
| Visual manifestations | 3 (5) | 0 (0) | 3 (9) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| PMR/arthralgia | 30 (51) | 8 (73) | 16 (50) | 5 (45) | 1 (33) |
| Upper extremity claudication | 6 (10) | 2 (18) | 3 (9) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Lower extremity claudication | 1 (2) | 0 (0) | 1 (3) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Constitutional (weight loss, fatigue) | 8 (14) | 2 (18) | 4 (13) | 1 (9) | 1 (33) |
PMR: polymyalgia rheumatica.