Barrier J H, Ponge T, Billaudel S, de Haldat du Lys F, Mussini J M, Grolleau J Y
Service de Médecine Interne II, Hôtel-Dieu, C.H.U., Nantes.
J Mal Vasc. 1989;14 Suppl C:123-7.
Epidemiological studies of temporal arteritis have essentially only been reported in the English literature. The authors of this study were concerned with this aspect of temporal arteritis in the Loire-Atlantique region of France over a period of 10 years (1970-1979). The high prevalence in white races has been confirmed. The annual incidence in France is comparable to that seen in Northern Europe and the USA. The incidence of the disease is especially high between 70 and 80 years. The apparent female predominance is related to the greater life expectancy in women. The study of several conjugal cases does not suggest the intervention of an infectious agent. The same is true for isolated cases where the responsibility of a bacterial or viral agent has not been demonstrated. Other environmental factors (sun exposure, life-style, socio-professional classification) do not affect the incidence of the disease. The genetic background would seem to be of particular importance. This study found a significantly higher prevalence of HLA DR4 antigen, confirming the results of American and British studies. However, in contrast to previous studies, this series did not confirm an increase in HLA B8 antigen.
颞动脉炎的流行病学研究基本上仅在英文文献中有报道。本研究的作者关注法国卢瓦尔河地区颞动脉炎这一方面的情况，研究历时10年（1970 - 1979年）。白种人中该病的高患病率已得到证实。法国的年发病率与北欧和美国所见相当。该病的发病率在70至80岁之间尤其高。明显的女性优势与女性更长的预期寿命有关。对几例夫妻同患病例的研究未提示有感染因子的介入。对于未证实有细菌或病毒因子致病的散发病例也是如此。其他环境因素（阳光照射、生活方式、社会职业分类）并不影响该病的发病率。遗传背景似乎尤为重要。本研究发现HLA DR4抗原的患病率显著更高，证实了美国和英国研究的结果。然而，与先前的研究不同，本系列研究未证实HLA B8抗原有所增加。
