Update on the Treatment of Giant Cell Arteritis and Polymyalgia Rheumatica

Sarah El Chami; Jason M Springer

doi:10.1016/j.rdc.2022.02.007

Update on the Treatment of Giant Cell Arteritis and Polymyalgia Rheumatica

Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2022 May;48(2):493-506. doi: 10.1016/j.rdc.2022.02.007.

Authors

Sarah El Chami¹, Jason M Springer²

Affiliations

¹ The University of Kansas Health System, 4000 Cambridge Street, MS 2026, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
² Vanderbilt University Medical Center 1161 21st Avenue South, T-3113 Medical Center North Nashville, TN 37232-2681, USA. Electronic address: jason.springer@vumc.org.

PMID: 35400374
DOI: 10.1016/j.rdc.2022.02.007

Abstract

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) are considered 2 diseases on the same spectrum due to their many underlying similarities. In recent years, both diseases have witnessed both diagnostic and treatment advances, which shaped the way we manage them. In this article, the authors focus on different diagnostic modalities in GCA as well as the presence of different clinical phenotypes and the role of screening for aortic involvement. The authors also discuss traditional treatments and the role of evolving steroid-sparing agents in the management of both GCA and PMR.

Keywords: Giant cell arteritis; Large vessel vasculitis; Polymyalgia rheumatica; Temporal arteritis; Tocilizumab.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Giant Cell Arteritis* / diagnosis
Giant Cell Arteritis* / drug therapy
Glucocorticoids / therapeutic use
Humans
Polymyalgia Rheumatica* / diagnosis
Polymyalgia Rheumatica* / drug therapy

Substances

Glucocorticoids