Polymyalgia rheumatic is an autoimmune\/collagen disease<\/p>\n
Pathophysiology<\/strong><\/p>\n 1)<\/strong> musculoskeletal disorder of unknown cause 2)<\/strong> chiefly marked by weakness and muscle pain affecting the elderly<\/p>\n Signs and Symptoms<\/strong><\/p>\n 1)<\/strong> diffuse myalgias 2)<\/strong> joint stiffness affecting shoulder and pelvic girdles 3)<\/strong> disuse atrophy 4)<\/strong> low grade fever 5)<\/strong> weight loss 6)<\/strong> anorexia<\/p>\n Characteristic Test Findings<\/strong><\/p>\n increased sed rate<\/p>\n Associated Conditions<\/strong><\/p>\n 1)<\/strong> 25% have giant cell arteritis 2 )<\/strong> HLA-DRB1<\/p>\n Inheritance\/Epidemiology<\/strong><\/p>\n 1)<\/strong> affects people > 50 years of age 2)<\/strong> more common in women 3)<\/strong> most commonly affects patients of Scandinavian descent<\/p>\n Treatment<\/strong><\/p>\n glucocorticoids<\/p>\n Tips for USMLE<\/strong><\/p>\n 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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[385,384,383,386],"yoast_head":"\n