Epidemiology of giant-cell arteritis in an Arab population: a 22-year study.
OBJECTIVE
To study the epidemiology of biopsy-proven giant-cell arteritis (GCA) in an Arab population with clinical features suggestive of GCA.


METHODS
Clinical records of 102 patients who underwent temporal artery biopsy (TAB) at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from January 1983 to December 2004 were reviewed.


RESULTS
Among the 56 men and 46 women who had TAB, 7 (6.8%) had biopsy-proven GCA. The mean (SD) age of the biopsy-positive group (71.7 (8.6) years) was higher than in the biopsy-negative group (65 (9.8) years; p = 0.005). None of the untreated patients with a negative TAB developed additional symptoms that are typical of GCA.


CONCLUSIONS
The small absolute number of biopsy-proven cases of GCA implies a relatively low incidence of GCA in Arab population, confirming previous observations that GCA occurs primarily in the Caucasian population.
Chaudhry
Imtiaz A
IA
Oculoplastic and Orbit Division, King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, PO Box 7191, Riyadh 11462, Saudi Arabia. orbitdr@hotmail.com
Shamsi
Farrukh A
FA
Elzaridi
Elsanusi
E
Arat
Yonca O
YO
Bosley
Thomas M
TM
Riley
Fenwick C
FC
D000368:Aged; D018912:Arabs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000473:pathology; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D013699:Temporal Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D014792:Visual Acuity
D005938:Glucocorticoids