Polymyalgia Rheumatica.
Last updated Thursday, February 10, 2005
Diagnosis and evaluationDiagnosis There is no single test that can be used to make the diagnosis of PMR in all people.
PMR is a syndrome, which is a collection of symptoms. This can make the
diagnosis of PMR difficult. To make the diagnosis, your doctor will
consider your symptoms along with results of your physical examination
and laboratory tests.
Other rheumatic diseases, infections, and cancer can cause symptoms
similar to PMR. It can take a while to finally make the diagnosis of
PMR.
To find out if you have PMR, your doctor will:
- ask about your symptoms and recent changes in your health
- perform a physical examination
- obtain certain blood tests
These blood tests will be used to check for diseases that cause symptoms similar to PMR such as rheumatoid arthritis.
A blood test called the erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR) will likely be
included. The ESR can measure the amount of inflammation present. This
test measures how fast red blood cells cling together, fall, and settle
toward the bottom of a glass tube, like sediment, in an hour's time.
When inflammation is present, the red blood cells sink more quickly and
the ESR is higher than normal. As inflammation responds to medication,
the ESR usually goes down. In almost all persons with PMR, the ESR is
higher than normal. However, the ESR is higher than normal in other
diseases besides PMR. As a result, the diagnosis of PMR cannot be made
by a blood test alone because the blood test cannot distinguish PMR
from other conditions such as infection or other forms of arthritis.
How useful was this page or article?
|
|