Possible lupus

[Mgeorge]

I’ve had PMR/GCA since May 2016, started at 60 mg. Prednisone, now down to 3.5 mg. I’ve developed a face and scalp rash and the Dr. will do a biopsy Oct. 9 to confirm lupus or not. I will be out of town til then. How common does PMR/GCA develop into Lupus?

[HeronNS]

I don't believe they do "develop" into another illness. I believe it's more likely a separate thing. I bet if you were to do a poll of the people on the forum you'd find many of us have more than one thing, often more than one autoimmune condition. There may be a similar predisposition within us which leads to the different disorders but I think they are more parallel, not one leading to the other.

But you don't know for sure that this is what the rash is yet. Let's keep fingers crossed that it isn't anything serious.

[Hidden in reply to HeronNS]

Snap heronns

[Hidden]

Hi mgeorge, to my limited knowledge it's not that PMR/GCA develops into lupus. Rather, you could have all 3 autoimmune conditions or PMR has been misdiagnosed because lupus presented as PMR. Certainly when I was referred to the rheumy for PMR , they did tests for lupus, RA and other conditions. They do this because the symptoms overlap. Sometime people get DX with RA as well as pmr, or subsequently their diagnosis is changed to RA. Once you return and have the biopsy it will hopefully be clearer what your ongoing diagnosis will be and you need to think about questions you want to ask your Dr.🌻

[Mgeorge in reply to Hidden]

Guess I shouldn’t have said develop. I know it’s a separate condition, but I didn’t realize that a person with PMR/GCA could also have Lupus? Will find out Oct. 6th biopsy.

[Hidden in reply to Mgeorge]

I am afraid all autoimmune conditions like a friend or two to travel with.

[Mgeorge in reply to Hidden]

Should I look for more?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

The way I look at it is that each person diagnosed has an autoimmune condition - and the label you get depends on which symptoms you show. There is a great deal of crossover once the immune system goes haywire, something that has been recognised I think by the diagnoses UCTD and MCTD, undifferentiated and mixed connective tissue disease. The doctors can tell there is an autoimmune process attacking various tissues but there are not enough criteria for any particular diagnosis or there are signs of several all occuring together but with none dominant.

verywellhealth.com/what-is-...

PMR itself is not the disease, it is the name given to a particular set of symptoms which can be due to a range of underlying conditions, not all autoimmune it should be added. GCA too can have symptoms due to other underlying conditions which is why they do like to try to get a temporal biopsy result - if it is positive it is 100% certain, otherwise it just means they didn't find the cells they were looking for.

But a journey to a lupus diagnosis is often a long one - and depends on a lot more than a biopsy result. Just because you have a malar rash doesn't mean it is lupus.

mdedge.com/rheumatology/art...

I'd say wait and see.

[Pollypuds]

That's interesting because I have a history of symptoms including flu like symptoms and rash that came with it that and investigation and tests for lupus. It was left unresolved and I just carried on living with it as I had done for years. So possibly the PMR just part of it.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Pollypuds]

Quite possible, yes.