Abstract
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) typically presents with acute onset of bilateral upper extremity pain (JAMA 315:2442–58, 2016) followed by functional impairment, including difficulties in rising, dressing, lifting, and reaching. Constitutional symptoms such as fatigue, depression, night sweats, weight loss, and low-grade fever are frequent. Elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR, greater than 40 mm/h), elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) level or both are nonspecific but present in more than 90% of PMR patients. Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an inflammatory vasculopathy of medium- and large-sized vessels. GCA typically presents with unilateral or bilateral headache, myalgia, fatigue, fever, weight loss, and sometimes acute vision loss. PMR and GCA are related inflammatory disorders with common risk factors and pathogenic abnormalities (N Engl J Med 371:1653–9, 2014). Corticosteroids are the drug of choice for treating PMR as well as GCA. Administration of corticosteroids is followed by release of symptoms within a few days, improves patients’ quality of life, and prevents disease complications.
PMR and GCA can present with unusual or unexpected symptoms and delay commencement of successful therapy.
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Abbreviations
- CRP:
-
C-reactive protein
- DM:
-
Diabetes mellitus
- ESR:
-
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
- FGT:
-
Female genital tract
- GCA:
-
Giant cell arteritis
- GP:
-
General practitioner
- MRI:
-
Magnetic resonance imaging
- PMR:
-
Polymyalgia rheumatica
- TAB:
-
Temporal artery biopsy
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Herold, M. (2017). PMR and GCA Case Reports. In: Rovenský, J., Leeb, B., Štvrtinová, V., Imrich, R. (eds) Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52222-7_20
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