Have you heard of Polymyalgia Rheumatica or the connected condition Giant Cell Arteritis? Not many people have – unless they are suffering from them! However, the doctors say that PMR is quite a common occurrence amongst the elderly, although GCA is rarer.
In some people PMR comes on suddenly, with debilitating pain across the shoulders and lower back. Other people experience a more gradual onset which seems harder to diagnose, but which is just as painful and restricting. GCA is a more serious illness, as if undiagnosed and untreated it can lead to serious visual loss or even blindness. GCA can be as a result of PMR, or a condition in its own right.
With PMR, symptoms of stiffness are often worse in the mornings, with people experiencing improved mobility and less pain in the afternoon. It can be diagnosed after a blood test, and appropriately adjusted steroid treatment can offer speedy and dramatic relief. In GCA, the symptoms are the onset of severe or unusual headaches, with stiffness of the jaw and swollen temples, and medical help should be sought urgently, as a high dose of steroids is necessary to bring the inflammation down and safeguard vision
Gradually patients feel less debilitated and although relapses occur, life can adjust more or less to normal. the conditions usually last for two or three years.
We have a very thriving PMR-GCA Support Group which has been established now for six years, based in Needham Market. We run a telephone help line, and send out information and newsletters to our many contacts. We hold twice yearly meetings in Needham Market Community Centre, and people come from all over Suffolk and beyond. Our next meeting is on Wednesday 21st April at 10-30am, and it offers the opportunity for people with either PMR or GCA to meet and compare notes. There is a short AGM, followed by a talk on Relaxation Techniques by Hazel Bradshaw. Please phone Jennifer on 01449 720 545, or John on 01449 672 592 or email Jennifer.pmrgca@btinternet.com for further details or help.
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