{"id":3395,"date":"2019-01-11T08:39:16","date_gmt":"2019-01-11T08:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/?p=3395"},"modified":"2021-08-11T00:34:02","modified_gmt":"2021-08-11T00:34:02","slug":"8-quick-facts-about-polymyalgia-rheumatica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/8-quick-facts-about-polymyalgia-rheumatica\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Quick Facts About Polymyalgia Rheumatica"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Polymyalgia Rheumatica causes pain and stiffness in the muscles of the shoulders, neck, hips, thighs, and upper arms. The term poly means many and myalgia refers to muscle pain. This condition can begin quite quickly and often affects people who are 65 years old and above. It is quite rare for people under the age of fifty to develop this inflammatory condition. The pain caused by polymyalgia rheumatica often becomes worse with movement of the joints and may become severe enough to limit activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This condition is related to Giant Cell Arteritis and often appears with it. Giant Cell Arteritis is another inflammatory disorder that causes a person to experience jaw pain, headaches, and possible visual impairment. Many patients who suffer from polymyalgia rheumatica may also have or develop anemia. Here are eight other quick facts about polymyalgia rheumatica that you should be aware of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Who Gets Polymyalgia Rheumatica?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Polymyalgia Rheumatica affects about one out of every one thousand individuals who are over the age of fifty. Most of the people who are diagnosed with polymyalgia rheumatica are over the age of sixty, typically in the late sixties or in their early seventies. It is quite unusual for people under the age of fifty to develop this condition. However, while it is unusual for younger people to develop this muscle condition, it is not unheard of and can occur in some instances. When it comes to gender, women are three times as likely to develop polymyalgia rheumatica than men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems to affect the muscles<\/a> of women more greatly than it does that of men. This could be for several reasons including that women\u2019s muscles often tend to be a bit weaker than men\u2019s muscles. Overall, women who are over the age of sixty are the most likely to develop polymyalgia rheumatica. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Causes of Polymyalgia Rheumatica<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, there currently no known cause of polymyalgia rheumatica. There have been several studies that have been conducted that have suggested that it may simply be a person\u2019s genetic makeup that makes it more likely to develop this condition. There are some reports that polymyalgia rheumatica runs in families. Some other research has suggested that there may be some environmental factors such as where a person lives, which could determine whether or not they develop this condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since there is not currently any research or other information available as to why certain people develop polymyalgia, it can be quite difficult to determine ways to avoid developing the condition later in life. However, keeping the muscles <\/a>strong through regular exercise may play a role in helping to alleviate some of the conditions associated with this disease. Eating a healthy diet may also play a role in helping to reduce the chances of developing this inflammatory disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Polymyalgia Rheumatica Symptoms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned, polymyalgia rheumatica affects the larger muscles of the body. A person who has polymyalgia rheumatica may first start to notice aches and stiffness in the larger muscles of the upper arms and throughout the shoulders. Similar aches and pains may occur in the hips and in the neck as well. This pain may make it difficult to raise your arms over your head, to get out of a chair, and even to turn over in bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the time the stiffness or soreness <\/a>will be the worst in the morning and will ease up a bit during the latter part of the day. Some of the other symptoms of the condition include noticeable swelling and inflammation. The tendons may be tender to the touch and there may be swelling in the wrists, hands, feet, and ankles. Some people complain about a loss of appetite and may feel depressed and tired. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Symptom Development<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A person who is suffering from polymyalgia rheumatica may notice the symptoms of the condition long before they are diagnosed <\/a>with it. One of the things about this condition that should be noted is that it is often not diagnosed until later on. The main reason for this is because most people will simply write off the pain and other issues associated with the condition as just a sign that they are getting older and their parts are not working the same as they once were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At times, a person who is suffering from polymyalgia rheumatica may develop depression. This comes from not being able to do all of the things that they once could. The other important thing to note about the development of symptoms associated with polymyalgia rheumatica is that the symptoms will often come out on a period of days or even weeks. However, for some people, the symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica will develop quite slowly and gradually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Polymyalgia Rheumatica Diagnosis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Often times a person who has polymyalgia rheumatica will ignore many of the symptoms for quite some time. The reason for this is because they simply think that they are getting older and that the pain that they are experiencing is quite normal for their age. However, when the typical symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatic occur, a doctor will likely come up with a proper diagnosis of the inflammation disorder. Since polymyalgia rheumatica can often mimic some other types of diseases, a blood <\/a>test is often completed in order to confirm a diagnosis of the condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most useful blood tests that are used to diagnose polymyalgia rheumatic include C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Other blood tests and scans may also be conducted in order to rule out some other conditions that could cause the symptoms you are experiencing. If you are experiencing any type of muscle pain, seeing a doctor is recommended. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Treatment for Polymyalgia Rheumatica<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Currently, the only treatment that is provided for people who are suffering from polymyalgia rheumatica is to use prednisolone. Prednisolone is a steroid medication<\/a>. It will typically begin to work within just a few days. In fact, prednisolone is so effective at treating polymyalgia rheumatica that if a person does not see some improvement in their symptoms after the first week of using the medication, the diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica may be questioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically, a person who is thought to have polymyalgia rheumatica will be started on a dose of 15 mg per day. This is often lowered through the next couple of months. Most of the time a dose between five to eight mg per day will be maintained. Treatment may be able to end after two or three years. However, there are some people who have to use the treatment for a lot longer and at times for life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Complications of Polymyalgia Rheumatica<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are some people who suffer from polymyalgia rheumatica who may end up with some complications caused by the condition. For every one hundred people who are diagnosed with the condition about ten or twenty of them will also have giant cell arteritis. Giant cell arteritis is a condition that needs to be treated immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the warning symptoms of giant cell arteritis include tenderness on a single side of the head, headaches<\/a>, pain in the jaw during chewing that gets better when the jaw is rested, a sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes or other issues with your eyesight in either one eye or both, and numbness, deafness, weakness, and other symptoms that may suggest an issue in the nervous system. If you are suffering from polymyalgia rheumatica and you start to experience any of the above symptoms it is important to make sure that you contact your doctor immediately as this is a complication of the condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Does Polymyalgia Rheumatica Improve?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica can be quite traumatic. In fact, there are some people who have a condition that has difficulty moving their joints at all. This means even the simplest movements become difficult. When polymyalgia rheumatica is properly diagnosed and treated with a dose of steroids, the symptoms <\/a>of the disorder will typically subside. Most people will find that after being on steroids for at least a year or two, they are much better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, even though most people are mostly cured of the disorder after a proper dose of steroids, this does not mean that the condition will not return. However, if another dose of steroids is taken, the body will often respond quite quickly. There are some people who see improvement after just a year or so on steroids, while others do not seem improvement for several years after beginning treatment. The improvements of symptoms all depend greatly on the individual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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