What is polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)?
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a disorder that generally affects people over age 50. It causes severe stiffness and pain in the muscles of your neck, shoulders, lower back, and hips. How does it occur? The cause of this disorder is unknown. Some researchers believe that it may be inherited. Women are affected more often than men. PMR is more common among people whose ancestors came from Germany, Great Britain, or other northern European countries. What are the symptoms? Symptoms may develop suddenly or gradually and include: stiffness and pain in the muscles of the neck, shoulders, upper arms, lower back, thighs, and hips that are often worse in the morning a low-grade fever fatigue weight loss depression. Between 10% and 15% of people with PMR also have a condition called temporal arteritis, also called giant cell arteritis. In temporal arteritis, certain arteries in the body (often those near the temples) become inflamed, narrowed, and sometimes completely blocked. About half of the
