Diagnostics and treatment of giant cell arteritis].

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common idiopathic systemic vasculitis in the age group over 50 years. It requires prompt diagnostics and treatment to avoid severe complications, such as visual loss or stroke. The tendency to relapse makes a glucocorticoid (GC) treatment necessary for several years and sometimes lifelong, which increases the risk of GC-induced long-term side effects. Therefore, additive GC-sparing treatment is recommended in the majority of patients. For this purpose, the anti-IL‑6 receptor antibody tocilizumab is available as an approved substance for subcutaneous application; alternatively, methotrexate (MTX) can be used (off-label). © 2021. The Author(s).

Citation

Markus Kraemer, Jana Becker, Thorsten Alexander Bley, Andreas Steinbrecher, Jens Minnerup, Bernhard Hellmich. Diagnostics and treatment of giant cell arteritis]. Der Nervenarzt. 2022 Aug;93(8):819-827

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PMID: 34734295

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