1990 Criteria for the
Classification of Giant Cell (Temporal) Arteritis
- 1. Age at disease onset
>=50 years
- Development of symptoms
or findings beginning at age 50 or older
- 2. New headache
- New onset of or new
type of localized pain in the head
- 3. Temporal artery abnormality
- Temporal artery tenderness
to palpation or decreased pulsation, unrelatd to arteriosclerosis of cervical
arteries
- 4. Elevated erythrocyte
sedimentation rate
- Erythrocyte sedimentation
rate >=50 mm/hour by the Westergren method
- 5. Abnormal artery biopsy
- Biopsy specimen with
artery showing vasculitis characterized by a predominance of mononuclear cell
infiltration or granulomatous inflammation, usually with multinucleated giant
cells
* For
purposes of classification, a patient shall be said to have giant cell (temporal)
arteritis if at least 3 of these 5 criteria are present. The presence of any
3 or more criteria yields a sensitivity of 93.5% and a specificity of 91.2%
Hunder GG, Bloch DA,
Michel BA, Stevens MB, Arend WP, Calabrese LH, et al. The American College of
Rheumatology 1990 criteria for the classification of giant cell arteritis. Arthritis
Rheum 1990;33:1122---8.
