Temporal arteritis in African Americans

Abstract

Objective: To determine the relative frequencies of positive temporal artery biopsies among African American and Caucasian patients at our institution, and to compare clinical and laboratory data. Materials and methods: Clinical and pathologic data were retrospectively collected on patients who underwent a temporal artery biopsy between 1986 and 1995 at a midwestern inner-city hospital with a large African American patient base. Results: A total of 7% of the African American and 17% of the Caucasian patients had positive biopsies. Headache, visual symptoms, jaw claudication, and myalgias/arthralgias occurred with similar frequency among African American and Caucasian patients referred for biopsy. Conclusions: Physicians in tertiary care referral settings serving a large African American population may encounter temporal arteritis among their African American patients more commonly than previously reported.