| Statistic | Giant cell (n = 76) | Non-giant cell (n = 16) | p Value | |
| Demographics | ||||
| Age | Mean (SD) | 74.6 (7.9) | 75.8 (4.8) | 0.58* |
| Sex (females) | No. (%) | 47 (61.8%) | 11 (68.8%) | 0.60‡ |
| Clinical course | ||||
| Erythrocyte sedimentation rate | Median (range) | 81.5 (24.0–448.0) | 70.0 (7.0–110.0) | 0.55† |
| Polymyalgia rheumatica | No. (%) | 28 (36.8%) | 2 (12.5%) | 0.059‡ |
| Hospitalised at diagnosis | No. (%) | 10 (13.2%) | 3 (18.8%) | 0.69§ |
| Blindness | No. (%) | 12 (16.2%) | 1 (6.3%) | 0.45§ |
| Relapses needing treatment | No. (%) | 29 (50.9%) | 6 (54.6%) | 0.99§ |
| Starting steroid dose | Median (range) | 60.0 (20.0–1250.0) | 80.0 (60.0–1250.0) | 0.11† |
| Length of steroids | Mean (SD) | 22.3 (9.2) | 22.9 (8.1) | 0.84* |
| Presenting symptoms (yes) | ||||
| Headache | No. (%) | 52 (68.4%) | 11 (68.8%) | 0.98‡ |
| Vision | No. (%) | 38 (50.0%) | 7 (43.8%) | 0.65‡ |
| Scalp | No. (%) | 19 (25.0%) | 2 (12.5%) | 0.35§ |
| Jaw | No. (%) | 30 (39.5%) | 4 (25.0%) | 0.28‡ |
| Muscle/joint | No. (%) | 21 (27.6%) | 4 (25%) | 0.99§ |
| Fever | No. (%) | 9 (11.8%) | 3 (18.8%) | 0.43§ |
| Fatigue | No. (%) | 11 (14.5%) | 2 (12.5%) | 0.99§ |
Note that missing values were present for: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (6 in GC, 1 in non-GC); blindness (2 in GC); relapses needing treatment (19 in GC, 5 in non-GC); starting steroid dose (3 in GC, 1 in non-GC); and length of steroid treatment (19 in GC, 6 in non-GC).
*Two-sample t-test; †Wilcoxon test; ‡χ2 test; §Fisher’s exact test.