Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is one of the most common adult vasculitis. As large-scale studies on cardiovascular events in GCA are missing in France, our study examine their incidence using the French national medico-administrative health database. We included patients hospitalized for GCA between January 2013 and December 2022 who received an initial prescription of corticosteroids ≥ 1000 mg over 40 days within one year of the hospitalization. Each patient was matched with three controls by age, sex, and residence. Cardiovascular events and mortality were compared using a multivariate Cox model, adjusting for hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, sleep apnoea syndrome, chronic kidney disease, and prior cardiovascular conditions. A total of 12,955 GCA patients (67% female) and 33,685 controls were analyzed. Baseline cardiovascular risk factors were more prevalent in patients with GCA. Patients with GCA had a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 1.21 1.15–1.27), and major cardiovascular events (1.51 1.41–1.62), including myocardial infarction (1.58 1.36–1.85), stroke (1.29 1.14–1.47), and heart failure (1.41 1.30–1.52). A better screening and management of cardiovascular factors could improve overall outcomes in GCA patients. Further studies are needed to determine the impact of treatment strategies, and to better identify at-risk patients.
Jauzelon et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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