Is Avascular Necrosis common in PMR/GCA patients?

[LIVEORDIEHEREIAM]

I'm just newly aware of this condition but since PMR/GCA affects blood vessels, it seems like a real possibility...

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Not sure it’s that common, but now you have written this, you can see related posts…

[PMRpro Ambassador]

hopkinsmedicine.org/health/...

Steroids and autoimmune disease are risk factors but GCA doesn't get a mention, more likely is SLE (lupus). High lipid levels are thought to be a potential factor.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[Grammy80 in reply to PMRpro]

Don't you think the meat of both the video and article is long term steroid use....not so much other comorbidities?💞

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Grammy80]

It's what they always want to say - but the other factors probably influence it too, And you can develop AVN anyway.

[HeronNS]

It is a listed side effect but in all my time on the forums I personally (for what that's worth!) am only aware of one person who developed it - and rather quickly at a fairly low PMR dose - so I doubt it's "common" but certainly not unheard of.

[Grammy80]

In 2010 my femur cracked when I turned over in bed. The reason was avascular necrosis which the orthopedic surgeon (Chicago, Illinois) said was caused by all the steroids I had been given for years to treat my asthma. Back then, I was hospitalized every winter.

I never knew then that prednisone and I would become fast friends in 2019, plus the two inhalers I use daily. Interesting. ..I'd not heard AN mentioned on the forum and never thought of it in conjunction with prednisone.💞

[Nightingales]

hi. I posted the same thing on the site yesterday titled Avascular Necrosis. I have just been diagnosed and scheduled for total hip replacement on May 11th.