Characteristics* of individuals with PMR, GCA and without either condition
| Patients with PMR only (N=9776) | Patients with GCA only (N=1164) | Patients without PMR or GCA (N=105 504) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic factors | |||
| Age, years, median (IQR) | 73 (65–79) | 72 (64–79) | 70 (62–77) |
| Women, n (%) | 7042 (72.0) | 845 (72.6) | 76 286 (72.3) |
| Index of multiple deprivation, quintiles, n (%) | |||
| 1 (least deprived) | 1977 (20.3) | 211 (18.2) | 21 062 (20.0) |
| 5 (most deprived) | 1892 (19.4) | 262 (22.6) | 20 763 (19.8) |
| Ethnicity, n (%) | |||
| White | 6683 (97.9) | 844 (96.6) | 62 766 (97.3) |
| Asian | 77 (1.1) | 14 (1.6) | 768 (1.2) |
| Afro-Caribbean | 21 (0.3) | 6 (0.7) | 448 (0.7) |
| Other | 47 (0.7) | 10 (1.1) | 506 (0.8) |
| Duration of registration, years, median (IQR) | 14.3 (6.7–26.9) | 13.9 (6.4–26.1) | 13.4 (6.0–25.3) |
| Consultation rate in previous year | 10 (6–15) | 10 (6–16) | 5 (2–9) |
| Autoimmune diseases and inflammation | |||
| Other autoimmune disease, n (%) | 1008 (10.3) | 130 (11.2) | 7116 (6.7) |
| Cardiovascular risk factors | |||
| Smoking, n (%) | |||
| Current | 794 (9.0) | 171 (16.6) | 10 397 (11.4) |
| Former | 2416 (27.3) | 273 (26.5) | 22 459 (24.6) |
| Never | 5636 (63.7) | 585 (56.9) | 58 584 (64.1) |
| Diabetes | 671 (6.9) | 81 (9.7) | 6526 (6.2) |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg, mean (SD) | 144 (18.4) | 143 (19.7) | 143 (19.0) |
| Body mass index, kg/m2, mean (SD) | 26.9 (5.1) | 26.8 (5.6) | 26.7 (5.1) |
| Total cholesterol, mmol/L, mean (SD) | 5.6 (1.2) | 5.6 (1.2) | 5.6 (1.1) |
| HDL cholesterol, mmol/L, mean (SD) | 1.6 (0.5) | 1.5 (0.5) | 1.5 (0.5) |
| Serum creatinine, mg/L, mean (SD) | 87.5 (24.3) | 87.2 (21.8) | 88.2 (24.3) |
| Medication use in previous year | |||
| Immunosuppressant drugs, n (%) | 143 (1.5) | – | 593 (0.6) |
| Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, n (%) | 3080 (31.5) | 248 (21.3) | 14 240 (13.5) |
| Oral corticosteroids, n (%) | 4713 (48.2) | 503 (43.2) | 2476 (2.4) |
| Antiplatelet therapy, n (%) | 843 (8.6) | 123 (10.6) | 8787 (8.3) |
| Blood pressure lowering medication, n (%) | 4253 (43.5) | 477 (41.0) | 38 704 (36.7) |
| Statins, n (%) | 978 (10.0) | 102 (8.8) | 9230 (8.8) |
*Missing data (%): index of multiple deprivation, 0.4%; ethnic group, 37.9%; BMI, 41.8%; systolic blood pressure, 13.0%; smoking, 13.0%; total cholesterol, 61.2%; HDL cholesterol, 71.0%; serum creatinine, 47.6%.BMI, body mass index; GCA, giant cell arteritis; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; IRR, incidence rate ratio; PMR, polymyalgia rheumatica.