Giant cell arteritis (GCA) affects mostly older people. It is rarely diagnosed in anyone younger than 50 years old and is more commonly diagnosed around age 70. Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with GCA as men. People with northern European ancestry, particularly Scandinavian, are more likely to develop GCA. GCA is rarely found in people with African ancestry.
People with a condition called polymyalgia rheumatica, an inflammatory disorder involving pain and stiffness in the shoulder and usually the hip, are also at increased risk for the disease. The disorder has also been associated with severe infections and the use of high doses of antibiotics.
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