PMR and digestive problems

[dogtired]

I was wondering if pmr can affect the digestive system with inflamation as well?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

PMR itself isn't really recognised as affecting the digestive system. However, if you have a large or medium sized vessel vasculitis that is affecting the arteries supplying the gut it could cause problems.

PMR as we mean it is the symptoms of an underlying autoimmune disorder and if you have one autoimmune disorder you are at an increased risk of developing another. Coeliac and Crohns disease which affect the gut are also autoimmune. There are also other systemic autoimmune disorders that affect the gut (systemic means affecting a system as opposed to just a local part of it). This is the abstract from a paper about this:

"In an autoimmune disease, the immune system attacks and harms the body's own tissues. The systemic autoimmune diseases include collagen vascular diseases, the systemic vasculitides, Wegener granulomatosis, and Churg-Strauss syndrome. These disorders can involve any part of the gastrointestinal tract, hepatobiliary system and pancreas. They can cause a variety of gastrointestinal manifestations that are influenced by the pathophysiologic characteristics of the underlying disease process. There is a wide variation of gastrointestinal manifestations from these autoimmune disorders including, but not limited to: oral ulcers, dysphagia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, fecal incontinence, pseudo-obstruction, perforation and gastrointestinal bleeding. Clinical workup should be initiated by the patient's subjective complaints. In this review, we analyze the effects of autoimmune diseases on the gastrointestinal tract."

It is quite complicated language - but what it basically says is there are several sorts of vasculitis which can affect the gut, the liver and pancreas and can cause all sorts of symptoms in the gut.

So, PMR itself isn't usually thought to affect the gut - but in some people PMR could be a symptom of another vasculitis that DOES cause gut problems.

Do you have a specific reason for asking or is it just curiousity?

[dogtired in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks a lot for that info.....not dx at present but having cpr and plasma viscosity tests on monday, lots of pain in large group muscles and urinary frequency etc. Could be fibro.....have to wait for test results. Have had 2 pos Ana results so could be autoimmune.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to dogtired]

PMR is autoimmune in origin - the symptoms are caused by an underlying autoimmune disorder which causes vasculitis, most likely in the microcirculation. If it responds dramatically to a moderate dose of pred, not more than 15-20mg, it is most likely to be PMR rather than other more complex autoimmune disorders. It is possible to have PMR symptoms that respond to pred and nothing else alongside other autoimmune problems.

Bladder problems are common in patients with PMR - something patients on a research group forum suspected and told the doctors. When the doctors asked their patients about it - yes, bladder problems were very common. Often doctors had assumed it was due to pred, no, it can be part of PMR.

[dogtired in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks.......if test possitive i shall be back on this site!