History of PMR/GCA?

[Strelitzia]

I can’t help wondering as I read all the problems and advice re: these conditions, what happened in the past before they were given a name and separate standings. Remembering how sudden and devastating these conditions changed my life, how would that have been explained in the past by the medical community, especially if someone was beset with sudden onset of blindness in an apparently healthy person. It amazes me how little seems to be known about the conditions. I can’t help thinking about all the people who must have gone undiagnosed and therefore left to live a miserable life. I hope it wasn’t the case that pmr and gca are more likely to affect females, so therefore not quite as worthy of research. ( Very rainy here….can’t get into my garden, so am in reflective mood!! Best wishes to everyone, we’re on the road to recovery!!)

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Have a look at this for starters - but plenty of other articles online - just search history of GCA and PMR, or similar wording

mayoclinicproceedings.org/a...

One thing you do need to remember is, we are living a lot longer than we did even 50 years ago - so there may have been less cases in days of yore - but certainly PMR in particular was probably misdiagnosed as arthritis - or “rheumatics” [as many oldies used to complain about!]

[Strelitzia in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you….the Mayo Clinic article is fascinating.

[Bridge31 in reply to DorsetLady]

Wow that is some article and research. What I found interesting was…..

“He considered that the term aged, which some authors had used, hardly applied to persons whose illness began in their 50s and 60s and that it was “unrealistic” to have a reference to “rheumatoid arthritis” in the name if arthritis was not an important feature. Therefore, he suggested the term polymyalgia rheumatica.”

So as early as the 1950ies it was noted in people as young as 45 ( in one instance ) so why do many doctors still say “ you are too young to have PMR ?”

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Bridge31]

So as early as the 1950ies it was noted in people as young as 45 ( in one instance ) so why do many doctors still say “ you are too young to have PMR ?”

Probably because many of the guidelines and articles still refer to 70 being the average age - unfortunately the ‘70 years’ sticks, but they don’t read [or comprehend] the ‘average’ comment….

[123-go in reply to DorsetLady]

Only just now had a chance to read the article. Fascinating! Due credit to doctors and scientists for their perseverance and dedication.

Thank you for sharing, DorsetLady.

[piglette]

of course this still happens with incorrect diagnoses of other illnesses as well as PMR and GCA. They reckon the average GP will manage a 40% diagnosis on a patient's first visit. Some of the stories you hear are frightening and some are even fatal.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

PMR was first described in 1888, GCA in 1890. But nothing could have been done until the early 1950s when they invented prednisone/prednisolone. Both my grandfather and a great aunt almost certainly had PMR, it was put down to old age and rheumatics and they were lucky it didn't progress to GCA, But as DL says - the incidence was lower as age expectancy wasn/t as high as now,

[Strelitzia in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you for your response, I am now better informed!

[Marijo1951]

Polymyalgia rheumatica was first described in 1888 by Dr William Bruce. He named it "senile rheumatic gout", which to my mind makes it sound even worse than it is. I'm glad they changed the name. As we know both PMR and GCA are far more common in women, so it says something about the attitudes of the time that the cases that he studied were all male.

[Strelitzia in reply to Marijo1951]

Thanks for your reply, I now have read the Mayo Clinic article, and am glad I live now and not before prednisone!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Strelitzia]

Me too…or I would be one of those completely blinded by GCA …..rather than just partially

[darkred in reply to Strelitzia]

Yes, I am considering prednisone to be a miracle drug, considering the change it has made in my life. Much pain, difficulty in pulling up my pants! Then...prednisone...less pain and then no pain. What a difference that makes in one's mental health. (Earlier, the future looked bleak. This will never go away? How will I cope?) I now look forward to the success I had with my first episode of PMR (2010-2011).

[Temoral in reply to Marijo1951]

Hi Marijo1951...Reading 'Unwell Women'....shows how the treatment of women developed through medicine...very enlightening and sometimes enraging...Worth a look. By Elinor Cleghorn.

[Strelitzia in reply to Temoral]

Thanks….I will try and find that.

[Marijo1951 in reply to Temoral]

Funnily enough my granddaughter has already recommended it to me, so I'll probably spend my last birthday book token on it. 'Invisible Women' by Caroline Criado Perez is another brilliant and infuriating read, that covers many areas including medicine in which women tend to be ignored, because men are assumed to be the human default.

[Temoral in reply to Marijo1951]

I shall put this on my book list too, thanks. The human default indeed.

[Smokygirl in reply to Marijo1951]

Strangely enough, the only other people I personally know here in the N of England with PMR are all men—- three of them!

[PMRnewbie2017]

My Dad was born in 1918 and when i was about 16 he developed PMR. I remember him complaining of stiffness and talking about his ESR never CRP. He was treated with Methyl Prednisolone by GP and probably struggled more than I knew.

[winfong]

Makes me wonder about my grandparents, complaining about the rheumatiz and the arthur-itis

[darkred in reply to winfong]

I'm thinking the same thing.

[Smokygirl]

My maternal Grandma had bad “ rheumatism “. It was the late 50s. My Mum had polymyositis. Slightly different. Our son has been diabetic from the age of 6. One of my Mums sisters also had polymyositis . All autoimmune stuff on my Mum’s side of the family. 😟