Cardiovascular risk factors and incident giant cell arteritis: a population-based cohort study.

• Published in: Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology
• Main Authors: Tomasson, G, Bjornsson, J, Zhang, Y, Gudnason, V, Merkel, P A
• Other Authors: 1 a Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine , University of Iceland , Reykjavik , Iceland. 2 b Department of Rheumatology , University Hospital , Reykjavik , Iceland. 3 c Centre for Rheumatology Research , University Hospital , Reykjavik , Iceland. 4 d Department of Pathology , Akureyri Regional Hospital , Akureyri , Iceland. 5 e Clinical Epidemiology Research and Training Unit , Boston University School of Medicine , Boston , MA , USA. 6 f Faculty of Medicine , University of Iceland , Reykjavik , Iceland. 7 g Icelandic Heart Association , Kopavogur , Iceland. 8 h Division of Rheumatology , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA. 9 i Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 2019
• Subjects: Risafrumuæðabólga; Áhættuþættir; Æðabólgur; Giant Cell Arteritis; Risk Factors; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/620948; https://doi.org/10.1080/03009742.2018.1506821

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink below OBJECTIVE: To assess the strength of the effect of cardiovascular risk factors on the incidence of giant cell arteritis (GCA) in a general population context. METHOD: Data from the Reykjavik Study (RS), a population-based cohort study focusing on cardiovascular disease, were used. Everyone born in 1907-1935 living in Reykjavik, Iceland, or adjacent communities on 1 December 1967 were invited to participate. Subjects attended a study visit in 1967-1996 and information on cardiovascular risk factors [smoking habits, blood pressure, diabetes, body mass index (BMI), and serum cholesterol] was obtained. All temporal artery biopsies obtained from members of the RS cohort were re-examined by a single pathologist with expertise in vascular pathology. Effects of risk factors on GCA occurrence are expressed as incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Altogether, 19 241 subjects contributed a median of 23.1 (interquartile range 17.6-29.4) years after the age of 50 to this analysis. During 444 126 person-years of follow-up, 194 subjects developed GCA, corresponding to an incidence rate of 43.6 (95% CI 37.8-50.2) per 100 000 person-years. Being overweight or obese were inversely associated with GCA, especially in women [IRRs 0.70 (0.48-1.02) and 0.31 (0.14-0.71), respectively]. There was a weaker association between BMI and incident GCA in men. Smoking was inversely associated with GCA in men [IRR 0.47 (0.27-0.81)], but not in women. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of GCA in Iceland is very high. High BMI protects against the occurrence of GCA, and smoking may protect against GCA in men. Reykjavik Study