A narrative review of giant cell arteritis in China

Abstract

Objective: To determine the incidence of giant cell arteritis (GCA) in China. Background: GCA is the most common primary vasculitis in the elderly and can cause bilateral irreversible blindness, aortitis, stroke and rarely death. The incidence of GCA in China is thought to be low, but has not been formally examined. Methods: A narrative review of the English language publications concerning GCA in China was performed on the PubMed and Google Scholar databases from inception to May 30, 2021. Conclusions: Five case series of GCA patients in China from Beijing, Changsha and Hong Kong showed the average number of GCA patients at the different hospitals varied from 1.7 to 9.6 patients per year. A retracted, outlier study from Lanzhou, China reported up to 336 patients per year. Latitude, smoking prevalence, percentage of Han Chinese ancestry, and average life expectancy in each city did not seem to influence the number of GCA patients. Excluding the outlier study, the incidence of GCA in China remains low. Overlap in the diagnosis of GCA with Takayasu arteritis may account for reports of higher relative incidence. To determine accurate incidence rates for GCA in China future studies require an accurate age-appropriate population denominator.