Monitoring Disease Activity and Relapses in Adults Over 50 with Giant Cell Arteritis

What this Trial Is About

Giant Cell Arteritis GCA is a disease affecting medium- and large-sized arteries in older adults, which can lead to serious complications like permanent vision loss and aortic aneurysm. Researchers are studying tools to monitor disease activity and predict relapses in patients with GCA who are currently in remission. This project aims to improve how relapses and treatment needs are identified, especially since symptoms can be unclear and usual inflammation tests may not work well in patients treated with certain drugs. Participants will undergo vascular ultrasonography scans including a double-blinded review if relapse is suspected. They will also complete patient-reported outcome questionnaires and provide blood samples for biobank storage. The study will enroll up to 175 patients with GCA in remission and follow them for one year to assess disease activity using these methods. During the study, participants will be monitored through regular ultrasound scans and symptom questionnaires. Researchers will measure how well changes in ultrasound and patient-reported scores detect relapses and predict future disease activity. Blood samples will be collected to support these assessments. The main outcome will be the accuracy of ultrasound changes from the start of the study to suspected relapse within 10 months. The total study duration includes follow-up for 12 months to observe relapse timing and related outcomes.

Disease Activity Monitoring in Patients With Giant Cell Arteritis Study