Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Mar 11;23(1):82.
doi: 10.1186/s13075-021-02450-w.

A meta-analysis of the epidemiology of giant cell arteritis across time and space

Katherine J Li #  1 , Daniel Semenov #  1 , Matthew Turk  2 , Janet Pope  3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

A meta-analysis of the epidemiology of giant cell arteritis across time and space

Katherine J Li et al. Arthritis Res Ther. .

Abstract

Introduction: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a common large vessel vasculitis in those over age 50 years. This meta-analysis examined the geographical and temporal distribution of the incidence, prevalence, and mortality of GCA.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted using EMBASE, Scopus, and PubMed from their inceptions until 2019. Studies were included if they reported at least 50 or more GCA patients and defined the location and time frame. Articles on mortality were included and standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was extracted where possible. Mean pooled prevalence, incidence, and SMR were calculated using a random effects model. Linear regression was used to explore correlations between latitude and incidence, prevalence, and mortality.

Results: Of the 3569 citations identified, 107 were included. The pooled incidence of GCA was 10.00 [9.22, 10.78] cases per 100,000 people over 50 years old. This incidence was highest in Scandinavia 21.57 [18.90, 24.23], followed by North and South America 10.89 [8.78, 13.00], Europe 7.26 [6.05, 8.47], and Oceania 7.85 [- 1.48, 17.19]. Pooled prevalence was 51.74 [42.04, 61.43] cases per 100,000 people over age 50. Annual mortality was 20.44 [17.84, 23.03] deaths/1000. Mortality generally decreased over the years of publication (p = 0.0008). Latitude correlated significantly with incidence (p = 0.0011), but not with prevalence, or mortality.

Conclusions: GCA incidence varies nearly 3-fold between regions and is highest in Scandinavia but not significantly. Mortality may be improving over time.

Keywords: Epidemiology; GCA; Geographic variation; Giant cell arteritis; Incidence; Meta-analysis; Mortality; Prevalence; Temporal arteritis; Temporal trend.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of study selection. The flow chart was developed using PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plot of incidence of giant cell arteritis across geographic regions
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Forest plot of prevalence of giant cell arteritis
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Forest plot of mortality of giant cell arteritis
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Incidence, prevalence, and mortality of giant cell arteritis across latitude
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Nordborg E, Nordborg C. Giant cell arteritis: epidemiological clues to its pathogenesis and an update on its treatment. Rheumatology. 2003;42(3):413–421. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keg116. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Piggott K, Biousse V, Newman NJ, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Vascular damage in giant cell arteritis. Autoimmunity. 2009;42(7):596–604. doi: 10.1080/08916930903002495. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baig IF, Pascoe AR, Kini A, Lee AG. Giant cell arteritis: early diagnosis is key. Eye Brain. 2019;11:1–12. Published 2019 Jan 17. doi:10.2147/EB.S170388 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Charlton R. Optimal management of giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica. Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2012;8:173–179. doi: 10.2147/TCRM.S13088. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kermani TA, Schäfer VS, Crowson CS, et al. Increase in age at onset of giant cell arteritis: a population-based study. Ann Rheum Dis. 2010;69:780–781. doi: 10.1136/ard.2009.111005. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types