Diseases & Conditions
Polymyalgia rheumatica
It sounds like a new threat to health, but it was first diagnosed in 1888 as "senile rheumatic gout." It sounds rare, even exotic, but it's actually quite common. It sounds serious, even ferocious, but it responds beautifully to proper treatment. It's polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), a painful, sometimes disabling condition that can be associated with giant cell arteritis (GCA), a disease that is much less common but much more serious.
You don't have to remember the unfamiliar name or even the simple initials, but you should understand the symptoms and treatments that can restore comfort in PMR and, in the case of GCA, preserve your vision.
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