Health

What Is Polymyalgia Rheumatica?

Polymyalgia rheumatica is an inflammatory disease, and it cases stiffness and pain in the muscles; especially in the hips and shoulders. Signs and symptoms of this disorder will often start quick, and they can get a lot worse in the morning. Usually, people who are over 65 are more prone to developing this disorder than people who are younger than 50.

There are some diseases that have similar symptoms, and thus could mimic polymyalgia rheumatica. For example, ankylosing spondylitis is also an inflammatory disease and it can affect your peripheral joints and spine. If you need help, you could check out the ankylosing spondylitis doctor in Brisbane or you can simply talk to your local doctor.

Polymyalgia rheumatica can cause a lot of pain and stiffness in the mornings

Polymyalgia rheumatica symptoms

Usually, the symptoms of this disorder will occur on both sides of your body, and they could include some of the following:

  • Aches and pain in your body; such as in your neck, shoulders, upper arms, buttocks, thighs and hips.
  • A limited range of motion in the areas that are affected.
  • Stiffness in the affected areas; after a long period of inactivity, such as waking up in the morning.
  • Pain and stiffness in the wrists, elbows and knees.

There are some other more general symptoms you might experience:

  • Having a mild fever.
  • Being fatigued.
  • Losing appetite.
  • Having a general feeling of being unwell.
  • Depression.
  • Weight loss that is unintended.

If you start experiencing pain and stiffness that is new, and is making your daily life difficult, it is time to visit your doctor. You can check out the polymyalgia rheumatica treatment in Brisbane performed by Arthritis Care if you are interested, or search for a local doctor instead. Remember, experiencing pain and stiffness on a daily basis is not something that should be considered normal.

What causes polymyalgia rheumatica?

To this day, doctors still do not know what exactly causespolymyalgia rheumatica, but there are some triggers that could be mentioned. The first one is the environmental trigger. It was shown that polymyalgia rheumatica comes in cycles, which means that it could be seasonal and caused by an environmental trigger, such as a virus.

However, there is no real proof that a certain virus will cause polymyalgia rheumatica. The second cause is our genes or a variation of genes, that makes it more likely for us to develop polymyalgia rheumatica. Whatever the case might be, it is important that you visit your doctor as soon as you start experiencing pair or stiffness in your body.

Talk to your doctor to find out more about polymyalgia rheumatica

Final word

Even though the cause is unknown, there are many symptoms that can help a doctor diagnose polymyalgia rheumatica. However, polymyalgia rheumatica has very similar symptoms to a disease called giant cell arteritis. The people, who have one of these two conditions, will have symptoms of the other condition as well.