Predictors of Cardiovascular Hospitalization in Giant Cell Arteritis: Effect of Statin Exposure. A French Population-based Study.

Objective: To identify predictors and protectors for cardiovascular hospitalization in a giant cell arteritis (GCA) population-based cohort.

Methods: Using the French National Health Insurance system, we included patients with incident GCA from the Midi-Pyrenees region, southern France, from January 2005 to December 2008 and randomly selected 6 controls matched by sex and age at calendar date. We used a Cox model to identify independent predictors for cardiovascular hospitalization [combining stroke, coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, or cardiac arrhythmias].

Results: Among 103 patients with GCA followed 48.9 ± 14.8 months, the incidence rates of hospitalization for cardiovascular disease, atherosclerotic disease (combining stroke, CAD, and peripheral arterial disease), heart failure, and cardiac arrhythmias were 48.6, 17.5, 14.8, and 9.8 events per 1000 person-years versus 14.9, 4.6, 6.2, and 2.5 events per 1000 person-years among controls, respectively. In patients with GCA, cardiovascular comorbidities at diagnosis (HR 6.2, 2.0-19.2), age over 77 years (HR 5.0, 1.40-17.54), as well as the cumulative defined daily dose of statins (HR 0.993, 0.986-0.999) were independent predictors for subsequent cardiovascular hospitalization. None of the 25 patients with GCA who were taking platelet aggregation inhibitors experienced a cardiovascular hospitalization during followup.

Conclusion: Patients with GCA present a high risk of cardiovascular hospitalization after diagnosis. In patients with incident GCA from the Midi-Pyrenees region, southern France, statin therapy was associated with reduced cardiovascular hospitalizations.