ArticleRMD open2017
Geo-epidemiology of temporal artery biopsy-positive giant cell arteritis in Australia and New Zealand: is there a seasonal influence?
Article in RMD open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Seasonality and latitude as linked environmental factors in giant cell arteritis incidence: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Rheumatology international · 2025Pooled it
- Gene and miRNA expression in giant cell arteritis-a concise systematic review of significantly modified studies.Clinical rheumatology · 2019Pooled it
- Diagnostic Challenges and Modern Therapeutic Strategies in Giant Cell Arteritis.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Article
- The Set up and the Triggers: An Update on the Risk Factors for Giant Cell Arteritis.Current neurology and neuroscience reports · 2024Review
- Current Perspectives in Giant Cell Arteritis: Can We Better Connect Pathogenesis and Treatment?Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Review
- The impact of month and season on the incidence of giant cell arteritis: an Intelligent Research in Sight (IRIS) Registry analysis.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2024Article
- Incidence of giant cell arteritis is associated with COVID-19 prevalence: A population-level retrospective study.Heliyon · 2023Article
- Utility of biomarkers and temporal artery biopsy length for investigating giant cell arteritis in Western Australia.International journal of rheumatic diseases · 2023Article
- Giant Cell Arteritis: Updates and Controversies.Frontiers in ophthalmology · 2022Review
- Giant cell arteritis: A population-based retrospective cohort study exploring incidence and clinical presentation in Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Article
- Global epidemiology of vasculitis.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2022Review
- Epidemiology of biopsy-confirmed giant cell arteritis in southern Sweden-an update on incidence and first prevalence estimate.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2021Article
- A new era for giant cell arteritis.Eye (London, England) · 2020Review
- Longitudinal expression profiling of CD4+ and CD8+ cells in patients with active to quiescent giant cell arteritis.BMC medical genomics · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivePrevious studies, although inconclusive, have suggested possible associations of environmental risk factors with the development of giant cell arteritis (GCA). We aim to investigate seasonal influence on the incidence of GCA across Australia and New Zealand.
methodsIn establishing an international study to investigate the molecular aetiology of GCA, archived temporal artery biopsy (TAB) specimens primarily from Australia and New Zealand were obtained. Demographic details including age, sex and date of TAB were collected from collaborating pathology departments. The season in which GCA was diagnosed was determined and compared with previous reports investigating the association between environmental risk factors and GCA.
resultsOur study comprises data from 2224 TAB-positive patients with GCA; 2099 of which were from patients in Australia and New Zealand. The mean age at time of diagnosis was 76.4 years of age. The female-to-male ratio was 2.2:1. We noted equal distribution of the incidence rate across all four seasons (530-580 cases diagnosed every quarter). Statistical analysis of seasonal variation by Poisson regression and cosinor methods showed no incidence preponderance across seasons. Our results do not support a seasonal component contributing to the onset of disease. Our literature search identifies no consistent environmental risk factor in association with GCA.
conclusionThis is the largest GCA data set reported outside of Europe. Our results demonstrate equal distribution of the incidence rate across all four seasons. In contrast to some earlier reports, we did not identify evidence of a seasonal component contributing to the onset of disease.
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