by aggieteacher

Created on: May 20, 2010

Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) and Polymyalgic Rheumatica (PMR) are both conditions that involve an inflammatory response in the human body. GCA causes inflammation of blood vessels in the temple region of the head. It can also occur in vessels in the arms and neck, and sometimes even the aorta (the large artery that carries blood from the heart  to the body). PMR causes inflammation in the muscles of the neck, shouldersand/or hips and thighs. The relationship between the two diseases was first noted in the 1950's.

Typically, these conditions impact people who are over the age of 50, with the average diagnostic age of around 70 years. Studies indicate the patients diagnosed with GCA have about a 50% incidence of also being diagnosed with PMR while about 15% of PMR patients are also diagnosed with GCA.

Some researchers believe that the two conditions might be caused by an infection of some sort due to the fact some geographic areas end up having a group of cases diagnosed in a given year. Interestingly, individuals in cooler climates seem more susceptible, and Caucasian women are more likely than men to develop one or both conditions. It is also believed that there may be a genetic predisposition for the conditions, especially in Northern Europeans.

Symptoms of GCA:  headaches, vision problems (double vision or blackouts), temporal pain, jaw pain or discomfort, tongue pain when talking, weight loss, fatigue, fever

Symptoms of PMR: muscle weakness, muscle pain, muscle stiffness, weight loss, fatigue, fever, joint swelling, edema

Diagnosis of GCA usually requires an arterial biopsy, and diagnosis of PMRcan usually be done with blood tests. Sometimes, xrays and arteriograms are helpful in diagnosing GCA, particularly when large arteries like the aorta are involved. Unfortunately, due to the diversity of symptoms and wide range in severity of symptoms, both of the conditions are difficult to hone in on and diagnose. The symptoms can all be indicators of other conditions as well, such as rheumatoid arthritis or even chronic fatigue syndrome.

The common course of treatment for both conditions is corticosteroids and NSAIDS (Advil, etc...) for PMR and corticosteroids for GCA. Some patients require up to 2 years to fully rebound from the conditions. The levels of corticosteroids sometimes required can cause bad side effects. New research is indicative that aspirin might be an effective treatment for GCA. Since the cause of GCA and PMR are not known, treatment is focused on relieving the miserable symptoms.

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