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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
What are the signs and symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica?The most common symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica are the sudden onset of pain and stiffness around your large joints, especially around your shoulders and hips. You may also notice discomfort in your arms, back, butt and neck. The aches and pains generally come on within two weeks, even overnight. You’ll usually feel the pain on both sides of your body. You might have trouble performing ordinary tasks like getting dressed or brushing your hair.Other polymyalgia rheumatica symptoms may include:Stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes, especially in the morning and after resting.Weakness.Fatigue.Generally feeling ill.Loss of appetite.Weight loss.Swelling of your hands or wrists.Mild fevers.About 10% to 20% of people with polymyalgia rheumatica may have another medical condition called giant cell arteritis (temporal arteritis). This form of vasculitis causes inflammation of large blood vessels like your aorta and temporal arteries. Alternatively, 40% to 60% of people with giant cell arteritis may have polymyalgia rheumatica.What triggers polymyalgia rheumatica?Researchers don’t know the exact cause of polymyalgia rheumatica, but they have several theories. Polymyalgia rheumatica causes may include:Genetics.Environmental factors, such as infections.Aging.Your immune system accidentally attacking itself (autoimmune disease).Inflamed sacs in your hips or shoulders (bursitis).What are the risk factors for polymyalgia rheumatica?While researchers don’t fully understand what causes polymyalgia rheumatica, they know risk factors include:Age: Polymyalgia rheumatica most commonly affects people over the age of 50. And rates of the disease increase with age. It’s most prevalent between the ages of 70 and 75.Sex: Women experience the condition more often than men.Ethnic and racial background: Caucasian people, especially people of Northern European ancestry, experience the condition more often than any other ethnic or racial group.What are the complications of polymyalgia rheumatica?Left untreated, polymyalgia rheumatica can interfere with your mobility. This can make it hard for you to perform your daily activities including bathing, dressing, brushing your hair, getting up from the couch and getting in and out of your car. Raising your arms over your shoulders may be particularly difficult.Polymyalgia rheumatica can be associated with giant cell arteritis, which can cause inflammation of your aorta, the major artery that transfers blood from your heart to the rest of your body. This can result in a potentially life-threatening aortic aneurysm.
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