Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory condition that typically causes pain and stiffness in the neck, shoulders, and pelvic or hip muscles. It occurs almost exclusively in those over the age of 50 and occurs more often with increasing age. It is fairly common, occurring in approximately 7 out of 1000 people over the age of 50. PMR usually begins with stiffness in the morning that lasts longer than 1 h. The stiffness is usually mild in the beginning, but increases with time and may become so severe as to cause difficulty getting out of bed. Occasionally, symptoms begin quite abruptly and become incapacitating almost overnight. Although the neck, hips, and shoulders are most commonly affected, these areas rarely have observable swelling. The hands, wrists, and knees are involved less often, but significant swelling may be observed in these joints. Symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, and less commonly fever may occur in about one third of patients. A severe headache, jaw...
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Klippel JH (ed) (2001) Primer on rheumatic diseases, 12th ed. Arthritis Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia
Salvarani C, Cantini F, Boiardi L, Hunder G (2002) Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis. N Engl J Med 347:261–271
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Hunder GG Polymyalgia Rheumatica (2005) UpToDate online v.13.3, revised March 22, 2005. www.uptodate.com
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Flagg, D. (2008). Polymyalgia Rheumatica. In: Loue, S.J., Sajatovic, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Aging and Public Health. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-33754-8_357
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-33754-8_357
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