Cerebrovascular accident in patients with giant cell arteritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies

Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2016 Dec;46(3):361-366. doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2016.07.005. Epub 2016 Jul 21.

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the risk of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) among patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies that reported relative risks, hazard ratios, or standardized incidence ratios comparing CVA risk in patients with GCA versus non-GCA comparators. Pooled risk ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated using a random-effect, generic inverse variance method of DerSimonian and Laird.

Results: Eight studies with 17,919 patients with GCA were identified and included in our data analysis. The pooled risk ratio of CVA in patients with GCA versus non-GCA controls was 1.40 (95% CI: 1.27-1.56). The statistical heterogeneity was low with an I2 of 31%.

Conclusions: Our study indicates a significantly increased risk of CVA among patients with GCA.

Keywords: Cerebrovascular accident; Giant cell arteritis; Meta-analysis.

Publication types

  • Meta-Analysis
  • Review
  • Systematic Review

MeSH terms

  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cohort Studies
  • Giant Cell Arteritis / epidemiology*
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Odds Ratio
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Stroke / epidemiology*