Clinical Signs and Laboratory Findings of Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis

The diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica can often be made based on symptoms and signs only. Aching muscle pain in the shoulder girdle, gluteal region and thighs may occur with a rapid onset, accompanied by lasting morning stiffness. The immediate pain relief after the initiation of the treatment with corticosteroids is a helpful diagnostic sign as well. The clinical image of giant cell arteritis is more variable and depends on the vascular region affected by the inflammatory process. Headache is a typical sign of temporal arteritis, as well as jaw claudication. A prominent, painful temporal artery is a classical sign. There are no pathognomonic laboratory abnormalities for both polymyalgia rheumatica and temporal arteritis. Both are accompanied by elevated acute phase reactants, although few exceptions exist to this rule.