statistics

[Bennijax]

Are there published statistics of the number of people currently diagnosed with PMR in the UK (world); and is there any evidence that numbers are growing?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I remember reading in a publication recently that the numbers seem to have stablised after growing for some years.

ard.bmj.com/content/77/12/1...

Unfortunately it is behind a paywall (GRRRRRRR!!!!) and interested though I am, I'm not interested enough to pay 36 euros ...

OTOH, you can read about USA figures in Olmsted County free:

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/285...

[Bennijax in reply to PMRpro]

I wonder if the charity Versus Arthritis has begun to keep a file on numbers diagnosed - I'm making myself a note to contact them.

Since I was diagnosed 18 months ago I've discovered three people in west London, people I know who were diagnosed around the same time, aged between 60 - 80, 2 are men, 2 women inc me. It's possible PMR was always around and as affecting only older people has been dismissed as being just 'old age', so increases in numbers in the last 20 or so years could be down to doctors being better informed. But always worthwhile to help flag up environmental and lifestyle factors if numbers are rising. Thank you PMR pro.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Bennijax]

PMR was first described by Bruce in a totally unrepresentative population of half a dozen men at Strathhpeffer Spa in 1888. Women didn't count! Even in the 1950s it was ascribed to rheumaticks of aging and to be expected - and after all, granny sat in a chair by the fire and knitted then so it didn't really matter. There was no cure anyway so what was the point of keeping such records?

Keeping records of that sort is time consuming so I doubt they do. They were never very approachable about PMR anyway. Bear in mind that until 20-odd years ago many records were paper - and very difficult to keep an overview, especially from GP records. A lot of whom didn't recognise PMR anyway.

[Rugger in reply to PMRpro]

My sister remembers our Mum coming back from the GP in the 1960s, probably aged 50+ and saying "That's it, I've got rheumatism". She lived to 97 and wasn't 'rheumaticky' for the rest of her life, so maybe she had PMR which went into remission?! Who knows?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Rugger]

Very likely I'd think. OTOH both the elderly relatives in my family who I'm positive had PMR had it indefinitely.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

This is something I found on NICE’s site earlier in year for someone else -

GCA and PMR commonly overlap.

Polymyalgia rheumatica -

Last revised in January 2019. Next planned review by December 2023

How common is it?

* Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is the most common inflammatory rheumatic disease in older people [Matteson, 2017; Partington, 2018], and one of the most common indications for long-term corticosteroid treatment in the UK, accounting for 22% of prescriptions [Dasgupta et al, 2007; Ameer, 2014].

* A large population-based study (n = 5,364,005) assessed the incidence, prevalence, and treatment burden of PMR in the UK over two decades (1990–2016) in people aged over 40 years [Partington, 2018]:

* During the period, 42,125 people had an incident diagnosis of PMR. The overall incidence rate of PMR was 95.9 per 100,000, and the incidence was highest in women, older age groups, and those living in the South of England.

* The prevalence of PMR in 2015 was 0.85%.

* A study of primary care computer records assessed the prevalence of PMR and giant cell arteritis (GCA) in a GP practice in Norfolk by reviewing clinical data for diagnoses of both conditions. This was supplemented by postal survey (to identify potentially undiagnosed cases within the practice population) and subsequent clinical review (for those screening positive for potential diagnoses of PMR and GCA [Yates, 2016].

* From the GP case records (n = 5159), 117 people had a recorded diagnosis of PMR and 21 people had GCA.

* From the population survey (n = 4728), no new cases of PMR and GCA were identified among 2227 completed questionnaires returned.

* The resulting cumulative prevalence estimate in those aged 55 years and older meeting 5 published criteria sets for PMR ranged from 0.91–1.53%.

* The prevalence of both conditions was higher in women than in men, and in older age groups.

Giant cell arteritis

Last revised in March 2020 Next planned review by March 2025

How common is it?

* The annual incidence of giant cell arteritis in the UK population is approximately 20 per 100,000 people [Smeeth et al, 2006].

* A full-time GP is likely to see a new case every 1–2 years [Barraclough, 2012].

* The incidence varies with age, ethnicity, and gender.

* It is rare before 50 years of age and the highest incidence is in people aged 70–79 years [Mackie, 2020].

* It is seven times more common in white people than in black people and is particularly common in Scandinavian people, with an annual incidence of approximately 30 per 100,000 people in Norway [Calvo-Romero, 2003].

* It is 2–3 times more common in women than in men [Ly, 2010].

About 15–20% of people with PMR develop GCA, and 40–50% of people with GCA have symptoms of PMR [Ameer, 2014; Matteson, 2017; BMJ Best Practice, 2018].

Unfortunately cannot find current link.

[Bennijax in reply to DorsetLady]

Excellent, thank you

[Hildalew in reply to DorsetLady]

' 7 times more common in white people than in black and is particularly common in Scandinavia -

this totally unqualified person furrows her brow and says 'wonder if it's that Vitamin D thing again?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Hildalew]

The Scandinavian thing is a genetic predisposition and applies wherever they live - living in Olmsted County, Minnesota is about the same longitude as living in Paris. Black people also have very low vit D levels (that was the thing they were on about in Covid)

They still don't really know if the low vit D found in a lot of patients with autoimmune disorders is a cause or effect thing - although a study in Finland found supplements newborns with vit D resulted in fewer cases of Type 1 diabetes in teenage which does suggest a causal link.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Hildalew]

See PMRPro’s reply.

[Bachfugue in reply to DorsetLady]

Thanks for this. Puts incidence rates into perspective. Hopefully further records will be produced over time.

[humlies]

interesting statistics here. In our Devon village of 150 people, 5 currently have - or have just had - PMR.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to humlies]

A study found the highest incldence of PMR is in the south of England. I think there is a degree of linkage with the fact a lot of retirees move there - and that skews the figures

[humlies in reply to PMRpro]

Ah yes - this skews the figures for lots of things!!