Temporal arteritis in African Americans

Objective: To determine the relative frequencies of positive temporal arter y biopsies among African American and Caucasian patients at our institution , and to compare clinical and laboratory data. Materials and methods: Clini cal and pathologic data were retrospectively collected on patients who unde rwent a temporal artery biopsy between 1986 and 1995 at a midwestern inner- city hospital with a large African American patient base. Results: A total of 7% of the African American and 17% of the Caucasian patients had positiv e biopsies. Headache, visual symptoms, jaw claudication, and myalgias/arthr algias occurred with similar frequency among African American and Caucasian patients referred for biopsy. Conclusions: Physicians in tertiary care ref erral settings serving a large African American population way encounter te mporal arteritis among their African American patients more commonly than p reviously reported.