RESUMEN
Acute cerebrovascular ischemic events are a rare and severe complication of giant cell arteritis (GCA). We aimed to determine the prevalence of GCA-related stroke, the overall survival and the relapse-free survival in patients with GCA. A multicentric retrospective analysis was performed on 129 patients with GCA diagnosed between September 2010 and October 2018 in two University Hospitals. Among 129 GCA patients, 18 (16%) presented an acute ischemic cerebrovascular event. Patients with stroke were older (83 [67-96] years versus 76 [58-96]; pâ¯=â¯0.014) and more frequently males (61% versus 30%; pâ¯=â¯0.014) than those without stroke. The frequency of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy was higher in patients with stroke (nâ¯=â¯6, 33%) than patients without stroke (nâ¯=â¯12, 11%)(pâ¯=â¯0.02). Overall survival was significantly decreased in GCA patients with stroke (4.4 months), comparatively to patients without stroke (221.7 months; log rank testâ¯=â¯0.006). The 3-years relapse-free survival was decreased in patients with stroke (8.42 versus78.0 months; log rankâ¯=â¯0.0001), as well as the time with sustained remission (78 versus 139 months; log rank testâ¯=â¯0.0004). This study shows the prevalence and risk factors of ischemic stroke in GCA.