Polymyalgia rheumatica
Polymyalgia rheumatica ("PMR", sometimes called just polymyalgia) is a syndrome or condition. It causes pain in the joints and muscles of the upper body. Normal arm and leg movements may be affected.
Most people with PMR have pain during the morning. Sometimes the pain is in the late afternoon or evening. About 15% of people having PMR may also have temporal arteritis.[1] The condition may prevent the normal use of the arms and/or legs.
PMR affects more women than men.[2] PMR usually happens in people age fifty and older. People under age 50 can be affected, although rarely.[3]
One blood test usually performed is the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) which measures how fast the patient's red blood cells settle in a test tube. The faster the blood cells settle, the higher the ESR value, which means inflammation is present.
Prednisone is the drug of choice for PMR.[4] Treatment duration is often more than one year. If the patient does not have dramatic improvement after three days of 10–20 mg oral prednisone per day, the diagnosis should be reconsidered.[5] Sometimes relief of symptoms occurs in just a few hours.
References
- ↑ "Polymyalgia Rheumatica". WebMD. Retrieved Feb 17, 2014.
- ↑ "The Difference between Fibromyalgia and Polymyalgia". Arthritis Foundation. Archived from the original on February 10, 2014. Retrieved Feb 17, 2014.
- ↑ "Polymyalgia". Shoulder 1. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved Feb 17, 2014.
- ↑ Hernández-Rodríguez J, Cid MC, López-Soto A, Espigol-Frigolé G, Bosch X (Nov 2009). "Treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica: a systematic review". Archives of Internal Medicine. 169 (20): 1839–50. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2009.352. PMID 19901135.
- ↑ McPhee SJ, Papadakis MA (2010). Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment. p. 767. ISBN 978-0071624442.