What is polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)?
What causes PMR?
Doctors don't know what causes PMR. People have inflammation in their joints and the tissues around the joints, such as the tendons (tendinitis Tendinitis Tendons are tough pieces of tissue that connect your muscles to your bones. Tendinitis is inflammation of a tendon. Tenosynovitis is similar. In tenosynovitis, the tendon inflammation also involves... read more ) and bursa (bursitis Bursitis A bursa is a small sac filled with fluid. You have many bursae (the plural of bursa). Bursae cushion your muscles, tendons, and ligaments around joints and keep them from rubbing against each... read more 
).
What are the symptoms of PMR?
Symptoms can happen suddenly or develop slowly. They usually include:
The pain and stiffness may keep you from doing your normal daily activities.
You may feel sick all over, lose your appetite, and be tired and depressed.
What are the complications of PMR?
A lot of people who have a blood vessel disease called giant cell arteritis Giant Cell Arteritis Giant cell arteritis is chronic inflammation of large and medium arteries of the head, neck, and upper body. Typically affected are the temporal arteries, which run through the temples and provide... read more also have PMR. And some people with PMR develop giant cell arteritis. In giant cell arteritis, your immune system attacks the lining of your blood vessels. It can affect the blood vessels in your eye and cause blindness if not treated.
Tell your doctor if you have symptoms of giant cell arteritis, including:
How can doctors tell if I have PMR?
How do doctors treat PMR?
Doctors treat PMR with:
Most people with PMR feel much better very quickly when treated with corticosteroids. If you get better quickly, doctors are quite sure that you have PMR.
You usually need to take medicine for at least a year. Then the dose can be slowly lowered. PMR can come back again.
People who take corticosteroids for a long time can develop:
