Swedish Society of Rheumatology 2018 guidelines for investigation, treatment, and follow-up of giant cell arteritis

Objective: To develop evidence-based guidelines for the management of giant cell arteritis (GCA) as a complement to guidelines in other areas of rheumatology, issued by the Swedish Society of Rheumatology.Methods: A working group selected key areas for recommendations, reviewed the available evidence, and wrote draft guidelines. These were discussed and revised according to standard procedures within the Swedish Society of Rheumatology, including a one-day meeting open to all members. For key recommendations, the quality of evidence was assessed according to GRADE. The final guidelines were approved by the Society board in March 2018.Results: The guidelines include recommendations on diagnostic procedures, pharmacological treatment, follow-up, and adjuvant treatment. Ultrasonography is complementary to temporal artery biopsy (TAB) in the diagnostic work-up. Other imaging techniques (magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography/computed tomography) are important in evaluating large-vessel in...