In this episode of Arthritis At Home, we are excited to share the #CRArthritis 2026 interview with Dr. Jean-Paul Makhzoum, clinician-scientist specializing in vasculitis at the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal.
Dr. Makhzoum shares highlights from a presentation titled “Lighting up the arteries: How imaging and therapies are reshaping large vessel vasculitis”. He defines what large-vessel vasculitis, including giant cell arteritis (GCA), is and the common and severe symptoms such as vision loss, observed in large-vessel vasculitis. He stresses that it is important to get GCA diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. A model that has been effective in Montréal for people living with GCA is the GCA rapid access clinic.
In addition, Dr. Makhzoum shares some research projects that he is currently working on:
- SONIC-GCA: a multicenter, Canadian study to discover a new way to diagnose and monitor GCA by doing a simple and quick ultrasound of the eyes
- Studies to find new treatments of GCA (such as Abatacept, a drug currently used for arthritis)
- Studies to better predict who might get relapses of GCA
About Dr. Jean-Paul Makhzoum
Dr. Makhzoum is an associate professor at the University of Montreal and the Director of the Vasculitis Research Program and GCA rapid access clinic at the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal.
Additional learning resources