Hi all, I am 45 and still undiagnosed with normal bloods and ultrasounds. Two months ago I developed symptoms of GCA (temple pain, scalp pain, headache, jaw claudication, swollen squiggly temple arteries, scalp sensitivity, eye pain, slight blurred vision).
Today I started getting pain along the carotid artery in my neck, which lasted a few hours then developed also into the shoulders. I now have pain in my neck and shoulders.
I have read the PMR can develop from GCA and I am worried that's what I am now experiencing. It has all happened very quickly, within 3 hours. There is slight pain in my hips, but not too bad.
Is there testing for PMR? It's incredibly scary to think I may have this in addition to GCA. Is there anything else I need to know?
Many thanks for your help.
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Curlacious
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It isn't really as well as. PMR and GCA are on a spectrum of the same disorder. Some people have just PMR, some have just cranial GCA and some have something in between, Quite a high proportion of GCA patients have PMR symptoms as symptoms of their GCA.
The testing for PMR is the same as for GCA - the diagnosis is based on inflammatory markers and symptoms. What you are describing at present isn't typical and you will remain in a similar position to your quest for a GCA diagnosis - which you had ruled out as unlikely to day.
I see, so PMR and GCA are one and the same - just manifesting differently. My feeling still is that my symptoms are likely GCA and with Dr Hughes I'll eventually get an accurate picture, either way.
This is something I found a few years ago which may help - sorry don’t have original article - but it’s from NICE-
GCA and PMR commonly overlap. PMR is observed in 40–60% of patients with GCA at diagnosis, and 16–21% of patients with PMR may develop GCA
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
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].
That’s something we often highlight on here - and maybe patients with GCA don't always realise they have PMR as well until they get to lower doses and their symptoms become more pronounced.
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GCA concern
MRI in PMR diagnosis
Excuse my ignorance but is this PMR or GCA?
Is it PMR, or GCA or neither? 
Relapse of GCA and GP reaction.
