The influence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and of disease activity on the serum alkaline phosphatase concentration was examined in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and polymyalgia rheumatica. Concentrations of serum alkaline phosphatase were similar both in patients with rheumatoid arthritis taking NSAIDs and in those not taking NSAIDs. In patients with o...

OBJECTIVE To compare the performance of the several different diagnostic criteria sets currently in use for polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). METHODS 213 patients attending eight rheumatological centres in eight different European countries were studied. All had recently been referred and were considered by the senior investigator at each centre, selected because of their experience in treatment ...

Remitting distal extremity swelling with pitting oedema is a clinical manifestation that may be observed in diVerent rheumatic conditions such as RS3PE syndrome, 1 polymyalgia rheumatica, late onset undiVerentiated spondyloarthropathy, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and more rarely in other rheumatic disease. In RS3PE the swelling with pitting oedema predominantly involves the upp...

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) was defined in 1957 and is linked with giant cell arteritis (GCA) in approximately 25% of cases. The peak incidence is between 60 and 75 years old and is increasing with the ageing population. Polymyalgia rheumatica is a clinical diagnosis without a 'gold standard' serological or histological test and there are other conditions that may mimic PMR. Treatment with a d...

The use of steroid therapy in polymyalgia rheumatica and temporal arteritis is necessary and usually effective, but may mask coexisting disease. The importance of early consideration of other disorders in such patients is illustrated by three case histories.

Malignant neoplasms are associated with a wide range of paraneoplastic rheumatological syndromes. These can be defined as remote effects of cancer, which are not caused by the tumor and its metastasis. The authors describe the case of an 82-year-old man, who presented with a one-month history of pain, stiffness, and functional limitation of the scapular and pelvic girdles. Blood tests showed ra...

OBJECTIVE To examine the main clinical and laboratory data of patients initially diagnosed with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), which then developed another conditions. MATERIAL AND METHODS We reviewed the clinical records of patients diagnosed with PMR in three hospitals in Argentina. Patients had a diagnosis of PMR if they met the following criteria: age ≥ 50 years, erythrocyte sedimentation ...