The Clinical Impact of Using ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT in the Diagnosis of Suspected Vasculitis: The Effect of Dose and Timing of Glucocorticoid Treatment

Table 2

Patients’ characteristics based on vasculitis diagnosis.

	Vasculitis (n = 38)	No vasculitis (n = 44)	value
Female sex, n (%)	23 (60.5)	21 (47.7)	0.246
Age, years, mean (SD)	66.3 (13.4)	59.5 (17.5)	0.056
CRP max, mg/l, mean (SD)	125.8 (88.3)	131.8 (91.4)	0.765
PCT max, µg/l, mean (SD)	0.16 (0.16), n = 29	0.16 (0.18), n = 33	0.872
Prednisolone at scanning moment, mg, median (IQR)	30.0 [33]	1.0 [20]	0.001
Patients using prednisolone	29/38	20/44
Prednisolone prior scanning, d, median (IQR)	6.0 [11]	0.0 [52]	0.135
Prednisolone cumulative dose, mg, median (IQR)	260.0 [1500]	1.00 [1706]	0.075
Fulfills ACR criteria for GCA, n (%)	10 (26.3)	3 (6.8)	0.016
Fulfills ACR criteria for EGPA, GPA, or MPA, n (%)	12 (31.6)	8 (18.2)	0.159
Fulfills ACR criteria for PAN, n (%)	5 (13.2)	2 (4.5)	0.164
Fever over 38°C, n = 79, n (%)	22 (57.9)	26 (63.4)	0.616

SD, standard deviation; CRP, C-reactive protein; PCT, procalcitonin; IQR, interquartile range; ACR, American College of Rheumatology; GCA, giant cell arteritis; EGPA, eosinophilic granulomatous polyangiitis; GPA, granulomatous polyangiitis; MPA, microscopic polyangiitis; PAN, polyarteritis nodosa. Significant at value <0.05.