Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a disease which causes swelling of blood vessels in the temple area and around the eyes. It affects people aged over 50 years and is most common in women between the ages of 70 and 80 years. A serious consequence of having GCA can be the sudden development of eyesight problems, which cannot be reversed but can be prevented if treatment is started early. Therefore, it is very important that GCA is identified as quickly as possible when it is suspected. General practitioners (GPs) are generally the first point of contact for healthcare in the UK. However, GCA remains difficult to identify and diagnose; firstly because GCA is a rare condition and secondly, because many symptoms related to GCA are also commonly seen in patients in this age group, for example, headaches. As a result of these factors, the diagnosis of GCA is commonly delayed and as a result, so too is treatment.
The purpose of this study is to understand whether the number of people with GCA in the UK is changing over time and to identify clinical features and other health conditions which patients see their GP about which may be related to GCA, to help us improve diagnosing patients with GCA quicker, and more accurately.
Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common form of large/medium vessel vasculitis, typically affecting people over the age of 50 years. If untreated, it can lead to permanent visual loss. Diagnosing GCA is often difficult due to a wide range of non-specific presenting symptoms which can lead to delays in diagnosis and appropriate treatment. The overall aim of this study is to estimate the occurrence of GCA, and to identify the most common groups of clinical features presented prior to diagnosis.
Our first objective is to estimate the burden of GCA in the UK population. The annual incidence and prevalence of GCA will be assessed between 1990 and 2017. Trends over time will be modelled using joinpoint regression. Our second objective is to examine the clinical features that patients present with in primary care prior to GCA diagnosis. We will perform a matched case-control study that will identify commonly reported clinical features (symptoms & comorbidities) prior to a GCA diagnosis. Using latent class analysis we will determine common patterns of clinical features presented to primary care prior to GCA diagnosis.
GCA diagnosis,
Clinical features prior to a GCA diagnosis
James Prior - Chief Investigator - Keele University
Lauren Barnett - Corresponding Applicant - Keele University
Alyshah Abdul Sultan - Collaborator - AstraZeneca Ltd - UK Headquarters
Christian Mallen - Collaborator - Keele University
Kelvin Jordan - Collaborator - Keele University
Toby Helliwell - Collaborator - Keele University
HES Admitted Patient Care;Patient Level Index of Multiple Deprivation