Polymyalgia Rheumatica

Polymyalgia rheumatic is an autoimmune/collagen disease

Pathophysiology

1) musculoskeletal disorder of unknown cause 2) chiefly marked by weakness and muscle pain affecting the elderly

Signs and Symptoms

1) diffuse myalgias 2) joint stiffness affecting shoulder and pelvic girdles 3) disuse atrophy 4) low grade fever 5) weight loss 6) anorexia

Characteristic Test Findings

increased sed rate

Associated Conditions

1) 25% have giant cell arteritis 2 ) HLA-DRB1

Inheritance/Epidemiology

1) affects people > 50 years of age 2) more common in women 3) most commonly affects patients of Scandinavian descent

Treatment

glucocorticoids

Tips for USMLE

if the question mentions a 78 year old women whose arms are too weak for her to comb her hair and whose EMG, serum creatine kinase, and muscle biopsy are normal, think polymyalgia rheumatic