Tracking the Course of Giant Cell Arteritis: Symptoms or Labs?

The standard of treatment for giant cell arteritis (GCA) consists of IV steroids followed by one year of oral steroids. The literature asserts that 30-50% of patients will relapse in disease during the course of their steroid taper, at which point the patients steroid dose would be increased and symptoms or lab values will resolve. The rheumatologic and neuroophthalmologic literature differ with regards to the treatment for giant cell arteritis. Rheumatologists consider a relapse to be symptom-based, while neuro-ophthalmologists use laboratory values to define relapse. This study aims to reconcile these differences.