Biopsy confirmed and negative biopsy temporal arteritis: biological characteristics
| Variable | Negative biopsy (n=85) | Positive biopsy (n=207) | p | Test used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedimentation rate (mm 1st h) | 81.8 (26.8) | 88 (27.5) | 0.05 | t test |
| C reactive protein (mg/l) | 64 (2–200) | 84 (2–431) | 0.048 | Wilcoxon |
| Fibrinogen (g/l) | 6.19 (1.65) | 6.46 (1.70) | 0.22 | t test |
| Haemoglobin (g/l) | 118.23 (16.88) | 111 (15.61) | 0.001 | t test |
| Mean globular volume (fl) | 90 (78–111) | 87 (68–104) | 0.0004 | Wilcoxon |
| Serum iron (μmol/l) | 8 (0.7–26) | 7 (0.7–32) | 0.05 | Wilcoxon |
| Platelet count (109/l) | 353 (167–700) | 424 (177–1051) | 0.0041 | Wilcoxon |
A t test has been computed for all the normally distributed variables, and a Wilcoxon rank sum test has been computed when the distribution was not normal. The mean (SD) are given for the normally distributed variables, and the median and the extremes are given for the other variables.