Clinical outcomes, quality of life, and diagnostic uncertainty in the first year of polymyalgia rheumatica

• Published in: Arthritis and rheumatism 2007-06, Vol.57 (5), p.803-809
• Main Authors: Hutchings, Andrew, Hollywood, Jane, Lamping, Donna L., Pease, Colin T., Chakravarty, Kuntal, Silverman, Barbara, Choy, Ernest H. S., Scott, David G. I., Hazleman, Brian L., Bourke, Brian, Gendi, Nagui, Dasgupta, Bhaskar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Sedimentation; Diagnosis; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Female; Health Status; Humans; Inflammatory joint diseases; Joints - drug effects; Joints - physiopathology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pain - drug therapy; Pain - physiopathology; Pain Measurement; Polymalgia rheumatica; Polymyalgia Rheumatica - diagnosis; Polymyalgia Rheumatica - drug therapy; Polymyalgia Rheumatica - physiopathology; Prednisolone - therapeutic use; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life; Reproducibility of Results; Severity of Illness Index; Sickness Impact Profile; Surveys and Questionnaires; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 0004-3591; 0893-7524; 1529-0131; 1529-0123
• DOI: 10.1002/art.22777

Objective To evaluate the impact of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) on clinical outcomes and quality of life (QOL); the relationship between laboratory measures and clinical outcomes, and changes in QOL; and agreement between rheumatologists in confirming the initial diagnosis. Methods We conducted a prospective study of 129 participants in 8 hospitals in England who met a modified version of the Jones and Hazleman criteria and had not started steroid therapy. The main outcome measures were response to steroids after 3 weeks (minimum 50% improvement in proximal pain, morning stiffness