?PMR onset Rheumatoid Arthritis

[bronigel]

I have been just been diagnosed with ‘PMR onset Rheumatoid arthritis.’ I was put on 15mg steroids initially, which was increased to 20mg after 3 weeks as still in so much pain, and also added in 15mg s/c Methotrexate.

I’m still confused by the diagnosis as I had no previous history of PMR! I had all the usual symptoms of PMR, but plus synovitis in fingers, hands and wrists which occurred at the same time as the PMR symptoms.

My inflammatory markers have gone done from a high of CRP 118 to 10.

I started wondering, could the ‘PMR’ pain I am still feeling be tendonitis rather than muscle pain?

[piglette]

Polymyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis are two separate illnesses. Are you saying you have been told that you have both? You are on quite a high dose of steroids to still have so much pain, so maybe you do not have polymyalgia.

[bronigel in reply to piglette]

They are calling it PMR onset RA.

I realise they are different but actually wondered, after looking into it, why it is you can’t perhaps have both?🤣 Not that I want both or either!

[piglette in reply to bronigel]

Yes you can have both. In fact if you do have an auto-immune disease the chances of getting another one are apparently higher than getting the first one.

[bronigel in reply to piglette]

Thank you- that makes it more understandable as I feel I have both PMR and RA from all the symptoms. When you google it, it seems to say you have one or the other, with no explanation as why you couldn’t have both. But I saw some thing today that seems to say think of it as a PMR spectrum with lots of overlaps. I’m trying to get my head round it all!

Thank you for replying.

[piglette in reply to bronigel]

I think that is true of a lot of auto-immune diseases. A lot of the symptoms overlap. Perhaps one day they will have a breakthrough and find out a bit more on autoimmune illnesses.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to bronigel]

This is a post from 10years ago asking same question -

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

The author is now on the NRAS forum …

[bronigel in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you so much for finding this post and the interesting replies. I did try searching on the site but didn’t find this. Nothing has changed much in 10 years🙄!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to bronigel]

So it would appear -unfortunately 🤦🏻‍♀️

[PMRpro Ambassador]

RA can have a polymyalgic presentation - LORA (late onset RA) and PMR can present identically and there are no real means of deciding which it is in the early stages. One typical thing is that the patient with LORA responds similarly initially but not as dramatically as might be expected in PMR or run into problems when they start to taper, getting stuck at relatively high doses. Even that isn't cast in stone.

It is my belief that much of rheumatology is a spectrum - we each have our own syndrome on that spectrum. I have PMRpro syndrome, you have bronigel syndrome. Any of them can only be managed, there is no cure, so they should be looking for optimal ways to manage YOUR version.

[bronigel in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks for replying. It’s all beginning to make more sense - in that no one can really tell you for sure🤔😆! I certainly haven’t had the dramatic response to steroids that I expected.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to bronigel]

Whereas I did, miracle in 6 hours, but have had PMR symptoms for over 20 years and been on pred for over 15, It is still there ...