Assessment of Disease Activity in Large-vessel Vasculitis: Results of an International Delphi Exercise

J Rheumatol. 2017 Dec;44(12):1928-1932. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.161269. Epub 2017 Sep 1.

Abstract

Objective: To arrive at consensus for candidate outcomes for disease activity assessment in large-vessel vasculitis (LVV) in clinical trials.

Methods: A Delphi survey including 99 items was circulated among international experts for 3 rounds.

Results: Fifty-seven items were accepted for both giant cell arteritis and Takayasu arteritis. Sixty-seven percent of experts voted to have a common approach for both diseases with additional disease-specific items such as weight loss, scalp tenderness/necrosis, morning stiffness, dizziness, visual symptoms, and imaging.

Conclusion: This study highlights similarities and differences in experts' perspectives for assessing clinical activity in LVV and may guide a consensus-driven core set of validated outcomes.

Keywords: GIANT CELL ARTERITIS; LARGE VESSEL; OUTCOMES; TAKAYASU ARTERITIS; VASCULITIS.

MeSH terms

  • Delphi Technique
  • Giant Cell Arteritis / diagnosis*
  • Humans
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Takayasu Arteritis / diagnosis*