Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis

Polymyalgia rheumatica is a relatively common syndrome of older patients, mostly white, manifested by aching and morning stiffness of the pelvic and shoulder girdles and accompanied by a rapid erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The symptoms are due to a synovitis, which is mild, nondestructive and very...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Western journal of medicine 1984-07, Vol.141 (1), p.64-67
Main Authors: Healey, L. A., Wilske, Kenneth R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Female
Giant Cell Arteritis - diagnosis
Giant Cell Arteritis - drug therapy
Humans
Male
Medical Progress
Middle Aged
Polymyalgia Rheumatica - diagnosis
Polymyalgia Rheumatica - drug therapy
Prednisone - therapeutic use
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Summary:Polymyalgia rheumatica is a relatively common syndrome of older patients, mostly white, manifested by aching and morning stiffness of the pelvic and shoulder girdles and accompanied by a rapid erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The symptoms are due to a synovitis, which is mild, nondestructive and very responsive to low-dose steroid treatment, which may need to be continued for several years. Temporal arteritis, which may accompany polymyalgia, can present as headache, loss of vision, diplopia or jaw claudication. To suppress arterial inflammation and preserve vision, administration of prednisone, 50 mg a day for one month, is recommended, following which the dose is tapered according to the symptoms, not the sedimentation rate.
ISSN:0093-0415
1476-2978