Table 3 Delay of giant cell arteritis (GCA) diagnosis by GCA-specific characteristic

 PMR

With

Without

Pease [37]

2005

42

12.9 (23.3)

–

–

–

Ezeonyeji [13]

2011

14

6.0 (1.8)

–

–

–

 Visual manifestation

With

Without

Gonzalez-Gay [45]

2000

42

9.6 (11.3)

119

11.5 (12.5)

0.19

Ezeonyeji [13]

2011

23

3.0 (2.9)

–

–

–

Singh [43]

2015

47

4.4 (4.4)

157

6.4 (15.3)

–

 Visual loss

With

Without

Gonzalez-Gay [45]

2000

24

10.8 (13.6)

137

11.0 (12.1)

0.48

Schmidt [46]

2000

5

7 (3)

–

–

–

Ezeonyeji [13]

2011

16

1.7 (1.4)

–

–

–

 Headache

Yes

No

Gonzalez-Gay [44]

2005

203

9.2 (9.9)

37

16.6 (15.0)

<0.001

Ezeonyeji [13]

2011

54

4.3 (3.9)

–

–

–

 Jaw claudication

Yes

No

Ezeonyeji [13]

2011

31

4.6 (2.8)

–

–

–

 Scalp tenderness

Yes

No

Ezeonyeji [13]

2011

27

4.0 (2.9)

–

–

–

 Cranial vs. non-cranial

Cranial

Non–cranial

Desmet [28]

1990

21

1.2 (1.6)

13

3.1 (4.0)

<0.05

Brack [31]

1999

74

11.1 (7.5)

74

34.7 (34.2)

<0.001

Liozon [11]

2003

130

10.0 (8.2)

21

17.6 (7.9)

0.003

Gonzalez-Gay [44]

2005

199

9.8 (10.8)

11

20.2 (17.6)

0.003

Ezeonyeji [13]

2011

–

–

21

5.4 (3.5)

–

Czihal [41]

2012

51

6.5 (6.6)

59

28.7 (25.1)

<0.01

 GCA with PMR

GCA

GCA & PMR

Myklebust [30]

1996

39

6.4 (7.2)

15

8.1 (10.7)

–

Gonzalez-Gay [44]

2005

144

8.3 (10.0)

96

13.4 (12.2)

<0.001

 Biopsy result

Positive

Negative

Duhaut [32]

1999

207

6.9 (50.2)

85

4.7 (26.0)

–

Gonzalez-Gay [47]

2001

161

7 (1.7)

29

8 (4.0)

0.6

 Age

<69 years

≥70 years

Lopez-Diaz [49]

2008

46

13.2 (12.8)

227

9.4 (10.2)

0.03

 Location

Rural

Urban

Gonzalez-Gay [48]

2003

132

9.9 (11.7)

78

11.1 (10.9)

0.23

 Sex

Men

Women

Gonzalez-Gay [48]

2003

97

9.7 (12.6)

113

11.0 (10.4)

0.20