Giant cell arteritis is an inflammation of the lining of your arteries. Most often, it affects the arteries in your head, especially those in your temples.
Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA), also known as temporal arteritis, is an arthritis of inflammation that occurs usually in older people. Inflammatory arthritis affects the artery linings, especially the blood vessels in the head and neck.
This can often prove to be a particularly tough journey for the affected patients, but treatment changes, especially in Germany, seem to come with new hope.
Though ESR and CRP are still good classical biomarkers, German researchers seem interested in some new biomarkers that can lead to an more earlier and precise diagnosis.
Though globally the cornerstone of treatment remains to be corticosteroids alone, Germany rheumatologists remain a pioneering group in the proper usage of steroids for treating patients with GCA.
German clinics are more specific with the dosing of steroids. They don't stick to one particular policy like the American clinics do. The German doctors have to keep in mind the following considerations:
This is a customized treatment that would offer the best possible treatment with fewer side effects.
To reduce the long term risks of high dose steroids, German scientists are working on hormone sparing agents. These medications allow patients to taper off steroids faster or stay on lower doses.
Biologic Therapies
German hospitals have quickly adopted the use of biologic therapy in GCA, which has led to a review of these treatments. Tocilizumab is an interleukin-6 receptor blocker, and this medication was effective in clinical studies conducted in Germany.
Innovative Treatment Options
Stem cell therapy is being explored as a potential treatment for various autoimmune diseases, including GCA, due to its immunomodulatory and anti inflammatory effects.
Stem cells, particularly mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), have shown promise in preclinical studies for reducing inflammation and repairing damaged tissues. Since GCA involves inflammatory damage to blood vessels, researchers are interested in whether stem cells could help:
Researchers from Germany are also trying to discover the effects of various treatments in combination. For instance, many clinics have initiated the use of methotrexate with steroids to improve their outcome and decrease steroid utilization.
Patients suffering from GCA are generally treated by multidisciplinary teams. Such a team would comprise of
Every bit and bob of the treatment is taken into consideration under this approach.
Now, work is under way to produce yet more sensitive imaging techniques. For instance, there are studies on the use of PET scans to track the activity of a disease and guide treatment decisions.
