Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis

Abstract

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.