Rheumatic polymyalgia: symptoms of the disease and treatment

Polymyalgia rheumatic is a disease that is relatively infrequent in modern medical practice. It is associated with various autoimmune processes in the body. And today more and more patients are interested in questions about what are the causes and symptoms of the disease. Can I permanently get rid of polymyalgia? Are there really effective treatments? What are the complications of the disease? This information will be useful for many readers.

What is the disease?

Polymyalgia rheumatic is a disease that is accompanied by inflammation and soreness of various muscle groups. By the way, most often the disease affects the muscles of the neck, shoulder girdle, and the pelvis, but it is possible to spread the process to other groups of tissues.

A characteristic feature of the disease is the fact that pain is most powerful in the morning, after sleep, but during the day a little weakened. Symptoms include stiffness in the movements and muscle weakness. Disease is not a threat to human life, but the constant discomfort significantly worsens its quality. In addition, the disease is associated with some complications. That is why it is so important to turn to a doctor in time and begin appropriate therapy.

Epidemiology of the disease

In fact, these diseases of the muscles are not diagnosed very often. According to statistical studies, residents of countries closer to the equator are the most vulnerable to this disease. Nevertheless, the likelihood of developing the disease is not excluded from the population of other states.

Cases of development of the disease in patients younger than 50 years are considered an incredible rarity - most often sick people over 60 years. It is interesting that among women this pathology is diagnosed approximately twice as often as among the male part of the population.

Pain in the muscles: causes of rheumatic polymyalgia

The reasons for the development of this disease are of interest to many patients. Unfortunately, for today it is far from always the doctors can find out why these or other rheumatic diseases develop. It is believed that this form of polymyalgia is associated with various autoimmune processes in which the immune system fails - it begins to produce antibodies that damage its own, healthy cells in the body.

There is a theory that such diseases are of a genetic nature and are inherited from parents to children. Nevertheless, there are factors that are capable of provoking the development of the disease. In particular, the list of causes can be attributed to various infections - the most dangerous are adenoviruses, parainfluenza viruses and some other pathogens. In addition, it is proved that the autoimmune process can be triggered by Horton's disease - a giant cell temporal arteritis.

Of course, sex can also be attributed to risk factors (women are sick more often), elderly age, place of living, etc. In any case, the ailment requires a well-chosen treatment regimen.

Rheumatic polymyalgia: symptoms

Of course, the question of the features of the clinical picture is extremely important. Because rheumatic diseases are accompanied by various symptoms. Immediately it is worthwhile to say that this form of polymyalgia develops sharply - signs appear unexpectedly, and their intensity grows with each passing day. "Peak" of the disease comes about after 2-4 weeks.

As a rule, patients first notice an increase in body temperature and the appearance of weakness. If in the first few days the muscle pains are perceived as one of the signs of an organism intoxication, then after a while a person realizes that it is the soreness that is the main symptom. Of course, in such cases the patient is interested in what causes such intense pain in the muscles. The reasons can be covered precisely in the development of the rheumatic form of polymyalgia.

Most often, the disease affects groups of muscles of the shoulder and pelvic girdle, as well as the neck. Pain in this case is almost always present - it can be pulling, pulling, stitching. As a rule, in the morning patients note not only an increase in soreness, but also the appearance of stiffness in movements. The disease affects not only actively working muscles, but also those tissues that constantly experience static loads. As a result of this discomfort appears not only when moving, but also at rest - patients are forced to constantly change the position of the body. The temperature effect does not affect the condition of the muscles, so cold or hot compresses have no effect. Pain can also not be removed with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics.

Some patients experience numbness of fingertips. In addition, the development of palmar fasciitis, which is accompanied by swelling of the wrists, is possible. Sometimes against the background of polymyalgia arthritis of small joints of phalanges, as well as knee and wrist joints, appear.

On the other hand, the disease is accompanied by some other, nonspecific signs. In particular, constant attacks of pain prevent a person from sleeping, which affects his emotional state. Signs of the disease include loss of appetite, weight loss (up to anorexia), as well as general weakness, depression, and sometimes even depression.

How to recognize the disease?

Unfortunately, to date, there are no precise diagnostic criteria. Nevertheless, in medicine it is customary to consider the presence of rheumatic polymyalgia in the event that:

• The patient's age is more than 60-65 years;
• During clinical analyzes there is an increase in the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation - up to 40 mm / h or more;
• Patient complains of pain in the pelvic and shoulder region, which is symmetrical;
• There is a morning stiffness, which does not pass more than 1 hour;
• Constant discomfort persists for at least two weeks, and the number of symptoms and the degree of their severity is constantly increasing;
• The patient is noted decrease in body weight, general weakness, depression;
• With a single dose of prednisolone at a dose of not more than 15 mg per day, the patient's condition improves rapidly.

The diagnosis of "rheumatic polymyalgia" requires the presence of all of the above factors. After all, there are other diseases of the muscles, which are accompanied by similar symptoms.

Modern diagnostic methods

If you suspect a similar disease, you should immediately go to a rheumatologist. To begin with, he will conduct an examination, assign appropriate tests, and also check compliance according to the international scale of criteria.

Patients take blood tests - during the study, an easy degree of anemia and an increase in ESR are detected . Tomography, X-ray and ultrasound examinations are also performed. A laboratory study of synovial (joint) fluid confirms the presence of neutrophilic leukocytosis. But a muscle biopsy with a similar disease is not considered informative.

Based on all the information collected, the doctor can make a final diagnosis and develop an individual treatment regimen.

Medical methods of treatment

To date, the only really effective method of eliminating inflammation is the use of corticosteroids, for example, "Prednisone", "Prednisolone" and some others. Patients are prescribed low doses of hormones. In most cases, therapy lasts about eight months, but in more severe cases, doctors recommend taking drugs for 1-2 years. If it's too early to cancel treatment or reduce the dose of hormones, then you can trigger a new exacerbation of the disease.

Treatment of rheumatic diseases of this type includes regular exercise in physiotherapy, which is especially important if patients suffer from stiffness of movements.

Since long-term hormone therapy can provoke osteoporosis, as a preventive measure, patients are prescribed nutritional supplements and mineral complexes - this will help prevent the development of calcium deficiency.

Are complications possible?

Today, many patients are interested in questions about what constitutes rheumatic polymyalgia, symptoms, treatment and the causes of the disease. Undoubtedly, muscular pains bring discomfort to a person's life, but they are not a direct threat. Nevertheless, the ailment can provoke some complications. In particular, true arthritis of joints often develops against its background, which only worsens well-being.

One of the most serious complications is inflammation of the temporal artery. This disease is accompanied by extremely severe pain in the temples, which intensify at night. It is also possible to weaken eyesight, up to its loss (most often the eye is affected by the affected artery). In the absence of therapy, temporal arthritis can lead to myocardial infarction.

Is it possible to treat the disease with folk remedies?

Of course, patients are interested in whether there are home remedies that can cure a problem such as rheumatic polymyalgia. Treatment with folk remedies, of course, is possible. For example, young birch leaves are considered to be quite effective. First they need to be poured with boiling water and let soften. After that, the leaves must be applied to the affected areas of the muscles, covered with compress paper on top and wrapped in a scarf. Compress should stay the night. Therapy lasts not less than a week.

Some folk medicine men also recommend drinking decoction from the stalk of corn. And to eliminate soreness will help tincture of mullein with vodka (it is applied externally). It is these methods used to eliminate the disease called "rheumatic polymyalgia." Treatment, however, can not replace hormone therapy. Home remedies can only be used as ancillary methods and only with the permission of the attending physician.

Diet for rheumatic polymyalgia

Immediately it is worth noting that rheumatic polymyalgia requires some restrictions in nutrition. The fact is that soreness is greatly aggravated in the presence of obesity. Moreover, one of the side effects of hormone therapy is the rapid growth of body fat.

Naturally, strictly restricting oneself in nutrition is not worth it - the body should receive enough vitamins, minerals and nutrients. But you should limit the number of sweets and baked goods. In addition, from the diet you need to exclude too sharp, fatty and fried foods. It is not recommended to abuse alcohol. At the same time, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat, steamed, as well as porridge and sour-milk products will help provide the body with all the necessary nutrients. It is very important to include in the diet products rich in calcium, since the daily rate of this mineral against the background of hormone therapy is 1000-1500 mg.

What are the patient projections?

Many people today are interested not only in the question of what rheumatic polymyalgia is (symptoms, treatment and the causes of the illness described above) - they want to know what are the patients' chances of recovery? To begin with, it should be noted that the medicine knows cases of spontaneous extinction of the disease - this phenomenon is rare, but still possible. Moreover, in most cases, with properly selected hormone therapy and the observance of all precautions, a full recovery will occur with time.

But the refusal of drug treatment or neglected form of the disease is fraught with negative consequences. In some patients, rheumatic polymyalgia acquires a chronic character - a wave-like course characterized by a regular onset of exacerbations.