The following is an excerpt....
BASICS
Description
Also known as giant cell arteritis. A large vessel vasculitis affecting the elderly. Primarily involves the cranial branches of the carotid arteries and can cause visual loss.
Epidemiology
- Disease of the elderly, almost never seen in persons <50 years ago. Incidence increases with age
- Female > Male (2:1)
Incidence
More common in Northern Europe, esp. Scandinavia (20 per 100,000 per year) vs Southern Europe (10 per 100,000 per year). In the US, incidence in a largely white Minnesota cohort was 19 per 100,000 per year. It is likely less for the US as a whole. Temporal arteritis is very rare in populations of non-European ancestry.
Risk Factors
- Increasing age
- Polymyalgia rheumatica
- Artherosclerosis and smoking in women but not men
Genetics
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