大多数患者对糖皮质激素初始治疗有快速反应,已治疗的患者罕有视力丧失。缺乏对治疗的反应时,医生应警惕,可能需要质疑诊断;然而,有高达 50% 经充分治疗的患者经历了不可预测的疾病和症状的复发。糖皮质激素的疗程往往需要 1-2 年,其中一些患者需要几年的小剂量泼尼松龙治疗。因此糖皮质激素相关不良反应较常见,见于 60% 以上的患者。[5]Salvarani C, Cantini F, Boiardi L, et al. Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant-cell arteritis. N Engl J Med. 2002;347:261-271.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12140303?tool=bestpractice.com该治疗的主要后果包括糖尿病和骨质疏松性骨折。
巨细胞动脉炎患者的总生存率与一般人群相似;[10]Salvarani C, Crowson CS, O'Fallon WM, et al. Reappraisal of the epidemiology of giant cell arteritis in Olmsted County, Minnesota, over a fifty-year period. Arthritis Rheum. 2004;51:264-268.http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/107640557/PDFSTARThttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15077270?tool=bestpractice.com 然而,巨细胞动脉炎患者发生主动脉瘤的风险显著增加。在一项基于人群的研究中,相较于同年龄同性别的一般人群,巨细胞动脉炎患者胸主动脉瘤的发生率是其 17 倍,单独腹主动脉瘤的发生率是其 2.4 倍。[50]Evans JM, O'Fallon WM, Hunder GG. Increased incidence of aortic aneurysm and dissection in giant cell (temporal) arteritis. A population-based study. Ann Intern Med. 1995;122:502-507.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7872584?tool=bestpractice.com胸主动脉瘤可能导致夹层及死亡率显著增加。[51]Nuenninghoff DM, Hunder GG, Christianson TJ, et al. Mortality of large-artery complication (aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection, and/or large-artery stenosis) in patients with giant cell arteritis: a population-based study over 50 years. Arthritis Rheum. 2003;48:3532-3537.http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/106570242/PDFSTARThttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14674005?tool=bestpractice.com
一些流行病学证据表明,GCA 患者出现心血管病的风险可能会增加。因此,尤其应对此类患者人群进行心血管危险因素的监测和管理。[52]Tomasson G, Peloquin C, Mohammad A, et al. Risk for cardiovascular disease early and late after a diagnosis of giant-cell arteritis: a cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2014;160:73-80.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4381428/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24592492?tool=bestpractice.com[53]Amiri N, De Vera M, Choi HK, et al. Increased risk of cardiovascular disease in giant cell arteritis: a general population-based study. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2016;55:33-40.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26248811?tool=bestpractice.com