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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Objectives: To analyse the current evidence for the management of large vessel vasculitis (LVV) to inform the 2018 update of the EULAR recommendations.
Methods: Two systematic literature reviews (SLRs) dealing with diagnosis/monitoring and treatment strategies for LVV, respectively, were performed. Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched from inception to 31 December 2017. Evidence on imaging was excluded as recently published in dedicated EULAR recommendations. This paper focuses on the data relevant to giant cell arteritis (GCA).
Results: We identified 287 eligible articles (122 studies focused on diagnosis/monitoring, 165 on treatment). The implementation of a fast-track approach to diagnosis significantly lowers the risk of permanent visual loss compared with historical cohorts (level of evidence, LoE 2b). Reliable diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers for GCA are still not available (LoE 3b).The SLR confirms the efficacy of prompt initiation of glucocorticoids (GC). There is no high-quality evidence on the most appropriate starting dose, route of administration, tapering and duration of GC (LoE 4). Patients with GCA are at increased risk of dose-dependent GC-related adverse events (LoE 3b). The addition of methotrexate or tocilizumab reduces relapse rates and GC requirements (LoE 1b). There is no consistent evidence that initiating antiplatelet agents at diagnosis would prevent future ischaemic events (LoE 2a). There is little evidence to guide monitoring of patients with GCA.
Conclusions: Results from two SLRs identified novel evidence on the management of GCA to guide the 2018 update of the EULAR recommendations on the management of LVV.
Description
Keywords
HSM REUM Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / administration & dosage Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / therapeutic use Antirheumatic Agents / administration & dosage Antirheumatic Agents / therapeutic use Female Male Biomarkers / metabolism Blindness / prevention & control* Drug Therapy, Combination Giant Cell Arteritis / complications* Giant Cell Arteritis / diagnosis Giant Cell Arteritis / drug therapy* Giant Cell Arteritis / metabolism Glucocorticoids / administration & dosage Glucocorticoids / therapeutic use Humans Methotrexate / administration & dosage Methotrexate / therapeutic use Observational Studies as Topic Outcome Assessment, Health Care Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic Recurrence Risk Management Systemic Vasculitis / pathology Takayasu Arteritis / complications Takayasu Arteritis / drug therapy*
Citation
RMD Open. 2019 Sep 16;5(2):e001003.