A syndrome in the elderly characterized by proximal joint and muscle pain, high erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and a self-limiting course. pain is usually accompanied by evidence of an inflammatory reaction. women are affected twice as commonly as men and caucasians more frequently than other groups. the condition is frequently associated with giant cell arteritis and some theories pose the possibility that the two diseases arise from a single etiology or even that they are the same entity.

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a systemic inflammatory disease characterized by pain or stiffness, usually in the neck, shoulders, upper arms, and hips, but which may occur all over the body. Almost all cases occur in people age 50 or older...