To determine the incidence of temporal arteritis (TA) in a population in Vest Agder County in southern Norway and to examine the frequency of disease related clinical findings in these patients.
Patients with TA diagnosed in the 5 year period from 1992 to 1996 were detected through a search in both clinical hospital databases and in a biopsy database. RESULTS. The mean annual incidence was 32.8 per 100,000 inhabitants over age 50 years and 29.1 for biopsy proven TA. All patients (n = 53) fulfilled the 1990 American College of Rheumatology criteria for TA; 94% had a positive temporal artery biopsy, 85% had erythrocyte sedimentation rate > or = 50 mm/h, 70% had new headache, 57% had systemic features, 53% had symptoms due to polymyalgia rheumatica, and 47% had an abnormal temporal artery at examination.
We confirm that southern Norway has the highest known incidence of TA worldwide. The frequencies of disease related clinical findings were in the same range as found in other studies.