Geographical and genetic factors do not account for significant differences in the clinical spectrum of giant cell arteritis in southern europe.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether genetic and geographical differences may influence the clinical spectrum of giant cell arteritis (GCA), we compared the demographic and clinical features of patients with biopsy-proven GCA from Reggio Emilia (Northern Italy) and Lugo (Northwest Spain) during a 15-year period.


METHODS
We performed a retrospective review of the case records of all patients diagnosed with biopsy-proven GCA at Hospital Xeral-Calde (Lugo, Spain) and Hospital Santa Maria Nuova (Reggio Emilia, Italy) between 1 January 1986 and 31 December 2001. Both hospitals are the only referral centers for populations living in central Galicia and central Emilia Romagna, respectively.


RESULTS
During the period of study, 194 Lugo residents and 126 Reggio Emilia residents were diagnosed with biopsy proven GCA. Reggio Emilia patients were more likely to be female (74% vs 54%; p = 0.0001). Although Lugo patients complained of headache (86%) more commonly than did those from Reggio Emilia (77%), the difference was only marginally significant (p = 0.05). The proportion of patients with visual manifestations or visual loss was remarkably similar (22% for visual manifestations and 17% for visual loss in Lugo and 29% and 21% for Reggio Emilia residents). The mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate prior to the onset of therapy was also similar.


CONCLUSIONS
Apart from differences in sex, the clinical spectrum of GCA in these 2 Southern European regions was similar.
Division of Rheumatology, Hospital Xeral-Calde, Lugo, Spain.
Miguel A
MA
Gonzalez-Gay
Luigi
L
Boiardi
Carlos
C
Garcia-Porrua
Pierluigi
P
Macchioni
Juan C
JC
Amor-Dorado
Carlo
C
Salvarani
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology