Description
An inflammatory disorder involving severe aching and stiffness in the neck, shoulder and hip areas. The exact cause is unknown. Biopsies of achy muscles are normal when evaluated microscopically. In some people, the disorder is related to temporal arteritis (giant cell arteritis). It rarely occurs before age 50.
Symptoms
Fatigue (excessive tiredness), low grade fever, hip and pelvic pain, neck and shoulder pain, joint stiffness, joint pain, malaise (general ill feeling), muscle pain, unintentional weight loss. If associated with temporal arteritis: headache, tender temporal arteries, vision changes.
Tests
Common tests used for diagnosis and treatment
Workup:
A history and physical exam will be performed. A blood test to measure an erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR, also called sed rate) and/or a C-reactive protein (CRP) level are performed. An elevated reading in one or both tests in the appropriate clinical setting supports the diagnosis. Additional studies may be done to rule out other possible causes of the symptoms.
Tests:
Complete blood count (CBC), Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), Urinalysis (UA)
Other Specific Tests: CPK
Specialists:
Internal Medicine, Rheumatology
Workup:
A history and physical exam will be performed. A blood test to measure an erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR, also called sed rate) and/or a C-reactive protein (CRP) level are performed. An elevated reading in one or both tests in the appropriate clinical setting supports the diagnosis. Additional studies may be done to rule out other possible causes of the symptoms.
Tests:
Complete blood count (CBC), Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), Urinalysis (UA)
Other Specific Tests: CPK
Specialists:
Internal Medicine, Rheumatology
Treatment
The usual treatment is corticosteroids (prednisone) in moderate to low doses. Treatment usually continues for at least one year and sometimes low dose corticosteroids are needed indefinitely. If temporal arteritis is being considered, treatment with high dose corticosteroids needs to begin urgently to prevent blindness.