Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) affects the quality of life of the patients. The pain and stiffness in the proximal joints might lead to sleep disturbance as well as an inability to do regular daily activities such as getting dressed and getting out of a chair. The symptoms begin rapidly and last for weeks. Once the steroid treatment is initiated, the symptoms resolve rapidly within few days. In fact, the rapid resolution of symptoms with the steroid therapy reinforces the diagnosis of PMR. The steroid treatment can be associated with complications such as weight gain and bone fracture. Approximately 40 to 50% of subjects experience relapse of the symptoms. PMR is associated with giant cell arteritis.

• If left untreated, PMR affects the quality of life of the patients.
• The pain and stiffness in the proximal joints might lead to sleep disturbance as well as an inability to do regular daily activities such as getting dressed and getting out of a chair.
• The symptoms begin rapidly and last for weeks.

• PMR is associated with following complications:
  • Giant cell arteritis
    • While 40 to 60% of patients with giant cell arteritis have PMR, 16 to 21% of patients with PMR develop giant cell arteritis.^[1][2][3]
    • Some symptoms of temporal arteritis include
      • Severe headaches
      • Scalp tenderness
      • jaw claudication
      • Fever
      • Distorted vision that might lead to blindness
      • Aching in the limbs caused by decreased blood flow
      • fatigue
  • Corticosteroid related complications such as:^[4]
    • Weight gain
    • Bone fracture
  • Cardiac complications such as:^[5]
    • Myocardial inflammation
    • Left ventricular dyskinesia
    • Reduced systolic function

• Once the steroid treatment of PMR is initiated, the symptoms resolve rapidly within few days. In fact, the rapid resolution of symptoms with the steroid therapy reinforces the diagnosis of PMR.
• Approximately 40 to 50% of subjects experience relapse of the symptoms, which requires longer duration of glucocorticoid treatment.^[4]
• Factors that are associated with relapse are:
  • Female sex
  • Initial high dose glucocorticoid therapy
  • Fast tapering of the glucocorticoid therapy^[4]