Anatom3DPolymyalgia rheumatica
Polymyalgia rheumatica · Revmatická polymyalgie
What it is
Sudden shoulder and hip girdle pain and stiffness after 50; often travels with giant cell arteritis.
Symptoms & signs
- Severe morning stiffness over an hour
- shoulder and hip ache
- trouble rising from a chair
- weight loss
- raised inflammatory markers
🚩 Get help if…
- call 112 / 911 now Sudden loss or blurring of sight, or double vision
- see a doctor soon New headache or tender scalp at the temples
- see a doctor soon Jaw pain when chewing
- see a doctor soon Weight loss, fever or night sweats with the stiffness
Where it strikes
- Muscles
- Shoulder
- Hip & buttock
Medical treatment
- Low-dose prednisolone with a dramatic response
- slow taper over 1–2 years
- methotrexate or tocilizumab as steroid-sparing
- watch for temporal arteritis
- sarilumab — FDA-approved 2023 when steroids cannot be tapered
Natural & lifestyle
- Bone protection while on steroids
- gentle exercise
- calcium and vitamin D
- blood-sugar monitoring
Emerging & experimental
- Steroid-free protocols
Alternative, off-label & anecdotal
Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.
- Fish oil — small studies of steroid-sparing early / small studies
- Anti-inflammatory diet — sensible; untested anecdotal / traditional
ICD codes
- ICD-10 M35.3
- ICD-11 FA22 Polymyalgia rheumatica