Question: Considering the potential for multiple system involvement with GCA, which specialist should manage the patient?
Dr. Paget: The rheumatologist is the right person to treat this condition. Consultation with other specialists might be warranted occasionally but not necessarily routinely. For example, sometimes an ophthalmologist is needed to check the patient’s eyes. Otherwise, once the diagnosis has been made, management is typically straightforward.
Question: What is the outlook for GCA patients who are diagnosed and treated effectively?
Dr. Paget: GCA tends lasts for about a year or two, after which patients can go off medication. The likelihood of recurrence is very low.
Dr. Paget is also physician-in-chief emeritus and the Joseph P. Routh Professor of Medicine at New York Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College. He disclosed no financial conflicts of interest regarding the information presented.