QUESTION: I have had a terrible time with soreness and aches in my arms and legs.
I tried aspirin and other pain medicines but they don't work.
My doctors says it isn't the arthritis I thought I had, but something called "polymyalgia rheumatica." He wants to give me cortisone, but I am a bit reluctant.
Would you please advise me what to do?
ANSWER: Although it may be a difficult task to tell the difference between arthritis and polymyalgia, there are a few clues that can help make the diagnosis.
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is condition of the muscles rather than the joints, which are the target of arthritis.
The muscles of the upper arm, neck and shoulder, and hip are sore and tender to the touch, and are particularly stiff and painful in the morning upon arising.
Although you may have some pain when moving your muscles, they are probably as strong as ever. This disease is more frequent in older people and strikes women twice as often as men.
About half the patients tell of feeling weak tired and depressed, while many will also have a fever and weight loss.
While it is painful disease, it is neither life threatening not life shortening.
There are several blood tests that help make the diagnosis, and your doctor may inform you that you have a high sedimentation rate as that is present in almost all patients with PMR.
This is another disease where we are uncertain about the cause, and cannot accurately predict the course of the ailment, which is very variable.
Once it starts it can last from six months to a year, but episodes lasting five years or more are not uncommon.
PMR is often associated with another condition called temporal arteritis, which would provoke headache, scalp tenderness and vision disturbances as well.
The good news is that this disease responds very well to the medication your physician has advised, and you should not delay taking it.
Corticosteroids (like prednisone) taken orally can quickly chase those pains away, sometimes in as little as 24 to 36 hours, but you may have to continue taking the medicine for some time.
The results of frequent blood tests will help your physician decide when the time is ripe to reduce or stop your medication.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
