APS & Polymyalgia Rheumatica

Hi everyone, I am 57 and have suffered from APS since I was 29. Last October I suffered from Polymyalgia Rheumatica and I was placed on steroids. This followed several years of spells lasting a month or more when I had aches in wrist, knee and neck and feeling really weak and tired doctors suspected Psoriatic Arthritis but never proven. Has anyone else suffered Polymyalgia and APS and is there a link

[PMRpro]

Have you asked on the PMRGCAuk forum?

There is a link in that both are autoimmune disorders and when you have one you are at a higher risk of developing another. But my view of autoimmune disease is that when the immune system goes wrong and starts attacking the body it is like going into a shop with all the possible effects stocked on shelves behind a counter. The assistant chucks a selection at you and sends you on your way - maybe even throwing another few at you as you get to the door. Some of the symptoms wear out over time - and they may send you replacements that aren't quite the same. Or they may not bother. So you have your selection of symptoms that may not look anything like anyone else you know and even the doctors look puzzled as they haven't seen this particular constellation before!

In the past a set of obvious symptoms might get given a name - usually that of the doctor who noticed they had a few patients like that, such as Wegener or Horton, or there was one particular thing that stood out, like lupus where a medieval physician thought the skin lesions looked like wolf bites. Nowadays though it isn't just the visual appearance they go by but things they have found in imaging or in the laboratory and some things have even had the name changed, Wegeners is now known as granulomatosis with polyangiitis, referring to the tissue effects.

And you have something called RichardG8 syndrome ...

[Hidden in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks PMRpro that is a really useful way to look at things and I will try the PMRGCAuk forum.

[PMRpro in reply to Hidden]

See you there!!!