How arteries get inflamed

[Polywotsit]

Ever wondered how inflammation gets going in GCA? Dr Alice Lorenzi explains the process in our latest video clip -

vimeo.com/258129054

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Nice graphics!

[Hidden]

Thanks Kate very interesting.

[Hidden]

Fascinating!!!!!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Thanks Kate.

I already knew what happened (!) but very good and simply explained.

[karools16]

Am struggling to get this vimeo. Forgot password and when I ask for a new 1, I don't get 1.

[Polywotsit PMRGCAuk team member in reply to karools16]

You shouldn't need a password. It is available for anyone to see whether they are registered with vimeo or not. Are you using a computer at work by any chance, because sometimes the firewalls prevent access to video channels.

[karools16 in reply to Polywotsit]

Shows I have to join. I have an old desktop computer. Retired. Will try again. Thanks.

[SheffieldJane]

Thanks for posting this, really interesting!

[stacybila]

Is this the same process in PMR? I bought your book, excellent read! I'm still not clear on the cause of PMR.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to stacybila]

Neither is anyone else yet! However, a lot of cases of PMR actually have signs of GCA when they look more closely and many GCA patients have PMR symptoms. There is an intermediate condition they call large vessel vasculitis - but they can't be sure it is identical to GCA since you have to take a biopsy of the artery wall which isn't practical in life so you don't ever know unless a post mortem is carried out.

Bits of this are quite straightforward and show how they overlap:

academic.oup.com/rheumatolo...

[Polywotsit PMRGCAuk team member]

Many of us patients think, and science is starting to agree with us, that a certain proportion of PMR cases are in actual fact cases of vasculitis. So this process will be happening in various parts of the body for them. PET scans in research are showing these up. although PET scans are not yet available for use in diagnosis. Then there are other PMR sufferers who are suffering more from inflammation around the joints. Not in the joints themselves, but in the bursas, or sacs of fluid around the joints.

One problem we have is that PMR is basically a bag of symptoms - there isn't a single sign, antibody or biomarker, that is present in every case, except for the high scores for the presence of IL-6 in the bloodstream. And that is present in many other inflammatory illnesses too. Thanks for the compliment about the book! I'm hoping that the next edition will be able to clear this murky area up a bit.

[enan-illuc]

Thank you! Very informative.