Professional paper

https://doi.org/10.33004/reumatizam-68-1-2

Clinical manifestations of polymyalgia rheumatica – a single centre experience

Marin Petrić ; Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Split University Hospital Centre
Daniela Marasović Krstulović ; Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Split University Hospital Centre
Mislav Radić ; Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Split University Hospital Centre
Katarina Borić ; Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Split University Hospital Centre
Ivona Božić ; Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Split University Hospital Centre
Dijana Perković ; Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Split University Hospital Centre

Abstract

Introduction. Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease that occurs mainly in patients over the age of 50. It is characterised by pain and stiffness in the shoulder and pelvic girdle and neck. Some patients develop giant cell arteritis (GCA). The aim of our study was to present clinical characteristics of PMR patients diagnosed in the period from January 2015 to July 2020 at the Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Split University Hospital Centre, Croatia. Materials and methods. We analysed available medical records of patients
diagnosed with PMR in accordance with the 2012 EULAR /ACR classification criteria. Methods of descriptive statistics were used in the analysis.
Forty-nine PMR patients were included in the study. The mean age of patients was 77, and 67.35% of included patients were female. Results. The most frequent PMR manifestation was joint pain, which was documented in 91.84% patients, followed by fever in 28.57% cases. GCA was diagnosed in 6 cases (12.24%). The most common comorbidities were arterial hypertension (73.47%), followed by type 2 diabetes (38.78%). In 3 cases (6.12%)
the malignant disease was diagnosed in the period of one year before and after the diagnosis of PMR. All patients received glucocorticoid therapy (GC) and remission was achieved in 45 (91.84%) cases. Conclusion. In conclusion, PMR is a disease which commonly affects the elderly, and it is successfully treated with GC. As expected, the most common symptom was joint pain, and the most common comorbidity was arterial hypertension. We did not find a higher prevalence of malignant diseases, so PMR should not be viewed as part of the paraneoplastic syndrome, which was also
confirmed by the results of the recently conducted studies.

Keywords

Polymyalgia rheumatica; Comorbidity; Paraneoplastic syndrome

Hrčak ID:

280231

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/280231

Publication date:

11.7.2022.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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