medwireNews: The British Society for Rheumatology has issued updated guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA).
Sarah Mackie (University of Leeds, UK) and co-authors say that these recommendations constitute “a major revision to the 2010 British Society for Rheumatology guideline for the management of GCA” in light of new evidence regarding diagnosis and treatment. Moreover, “[w]e also broadened the remit of the previous guideline to include diagnostic imaging for GCA,” they add.
The updated guidelines are intended for healthcare providers working in primary or secondary care who manage patients with suspected or confirmed GCA. Mackie and team encourage “early recognition of suspected GCA by the non-specialist,” but stress that “prompt onward referral to an appropriate specialist is recommended.”
And from a treatment perspective, they say that the guidelines “provide a framework by which specialists, general practitioners and patients can work together to deliver optimal care tailored to the individual patient.”
The recommendations are published in Rheumatology.
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