EPIDEMIOLOGY OF TEMPORAL ARTERITIS IN ISRAEL

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 18  (2) , 241-244
Abstract
An effort was made to identify all cases of biopsy-proven temporal arteritis (TA) diagnosed in Israel during 1960-1978. Forty-six Jewish patients were found, none of them under 50 yr of age. The age-standardized annual incidence rate of biopsy-proven TA among Jews in Israel rose from 1.6 in 1960-1964 to 8.6 in 1975-1978, with an overall incidence of 4.9 new cases diagnosed annually/106 population .gtoreq. 50 yr. The male:female ratio was 0.95. The annual incidence was 0.2 cases/106 population aged 50-59 yr, and 11.6/106 population .gtoreq. 70 yr of age. The apparent increase in the incidence of TA is due to increased awareness of the disease rather than to an increase in morbidity.