Polymyalgia rheumatica

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• Hip pain and stiffness
• Shoulder pain and stiffness
• Neck pain and stiffness
• Muscle pain (minimal, less common than aching)
• Fever
• Unintentional weight loss
• Anemia (low number of red blood cells in the blood)
• Fatigue (excessive tiredness)
• Malaise (general ill feeling)
• Face pain
• Other joint pain

Fever may be the only symptom in some cases (the person has a fever of unknown origin). Signs of temporal arteritis may also be present.

Blood tests are nonspecific.

• The sedimentation rate (ESR ) is often elevated.
• Creatine kinase (CPK ) is normal.
• Hemoglobin or hematocrit may be normal or low.

Review Date: 08/02/2005
Reviewed By: Ariel D. Teitel, M.D., M.B.A., Chief, Division of Rheumatology, St. Vincent's Hospital, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.