Polymyalgia Rheumatica is a disease of the locomotor system that causes pain and intense stiffness in both shoulders, hips and, less frequently, in the neck and lower back. Pain and stiffness are more intense after prolonged periods of rest, such as upon waking in the morning. In the vast majority of cases, it is accompanied by an increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, an analytical test that indicates, in general, that there is activity of an inflammatory process in the body. It is typical for Polymyalgia Rheumatica to appear after the age of 50; 50 out of every 100,000 individuals over this age suffer it every year.
The cause of Polymyalgia Rheumatica is not known, but its appearance in older people suggests some factor associated with aging, together with genetic factors and abnormalities of the individual’s immune system. Family aggregation exists. It is also more frequent in white people and occurs twice as often in women as in men.
The predominant symptom in this disease is pain accompanied by stiffness in the shoulder areas, which lasts more than 30 minutes. Patients define it as a great impossibility to raise both arms, which is more pronounced after periods of rest, and which is accompanied by a feeling of fatigue and muscle pain in the upper limbs. In addition, these same symptoms appear in the hip area, with difficulty walking and raising the legs together with pain in the groin and thighs. Cervical pain is less constant, like a feeling of heaviness in the neck, and in the lumbar area. Daily activities such as getting up from a chair or the bathroom cup, combing or dressing, become difficult, requiring help in many cases.
There is no single test to diagnose this disease and the most important thing to make the diagnosis will be the conjunction of the symptoms together with the examination performed by the rheumatologist. The most relevant characteristic in the laboratory tests performed is the elevation of the Globular Sedimentation Rate (*VSG), which occurs in the vast majority of patients.
The treatment of Polymyalgia Rheumatica is usually based on the use of corticosteroids. Once the symptoms disappear, the rheumatologist usually indicates to gradually decrease the dose until finding the lowest possible dose that controls the symptoms.
