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Diagnostic Criteria, Treatment, and Monitoring of Polymyalgia Rheumatica/Giant Cell Arteritis

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Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis

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Abstract

Usually, PMR shows an acute, in any case a rapid, onset with severe and symmetric, muscle pain in the shoulder girdle and the neck, less often in the pelvic girdle, accompanied by muscle tenderness. Patients suffer from continuous pain often aggravated during physical inactivity or the night. Sometimes transient synovitis occurs without radiological signs of arthritis. Polymyalgia rheumatica is frequently accompanied by a number of non-specific symptoms, such as lethargy, depression fatigue, and fever, loss of appetite and weight, and overall weakness. William Bruce was the first to describe the disease, naming it senile gout in 1888 (1) However, there is no specific positive finding that confirms the disease therefore a variety of criteria sets for the diagnosis of PMR GCA have been developed targeting reasonable sensitivity and specificity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1st and 2nd Department of Medicine, Centre for Rheumatology, Lower Austria; State Hospital Stockerau, Karl Landsteiner Institute for Clinical Rheumatology, Stockerau, Austria

    Dr. Burkhard F. Leeb, Thomas Nothnagl, Martin Steindl & Bernhard Rintelen

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  1. Dr. Burkhard F. Leeb
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  2. Thomas Nothnagl
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  3. Martin Steindl
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  4. Bernhard Rintelen
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Slovakia

    Jozef Rovenský MD, DSc, FRCP , Viera Štvrtinová MD, PhD  & Richard Imrich ,  & 

  2. Austria

    Burkhard F. Leeb

  3. UK

    Howard Bird MD, FRCP

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Leeb, B.F., Nothnagl, T., Steindl, M., Rintelen, B. (2010). Diagnostic Criteria, Treatment, and Monitoring of Polymyalgia Rheumatica/Giant Cell Arteritis. In: Rovenský, J., Leeb, B.F., Bird, H., Štvrtinová, V., Imrich, R. (eds) Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-99359-0_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-99359-0_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-211-99358-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-211-99359-0

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