PMR and TA

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Rheumatology teaching
esther.westwood
Flashcards by esther.westwood, updated more than 1 year ago
esther.westwood
Created by esther.westwood over 9 years ago
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Question Answer
What percentage of >65 year olds have PMR? 3%
A) What percentage of PMR patients get TA? B) What percentage of TA patients get PMR? A) 15-30% B) 50%
What is the pathophysiology of PMR? Mild, non-erosive synovial and peri-articular inflammation of proximal joints Some patients: sub-clinical vasculitis
What is the pathophysiology of TA? Granulomatous vasculitis As a result of accumulation of inflammatory infiltrate in medium and large arteries Causes vessel wall injury, luminar occlusion and vascular stenosis = ischaemia
What are the diagnostic criteria for PMR? >50yo Duration >2 weeks Bilateral pelvic and/or shoulder girdle ache Morning stiffness lasting >45 minutes Evidence of an acute phase response (ESR/CRP/ALP) And don't forget to assess for TA!
What are some differentials for proximal girdle pain? Rheumatoid arthritis Late onset spondyloarthritis Connective tissue disease (SLE) CPPD (Pseudogout) Muscle disease: myositis, dermatomyositis, polymyositis MSK problem: bursitis, tendinitis Cervical spondylosis Neoplasm: myeloma, leukaemia, paraneoplastic syndrome Endocrine: Hypothyroidism, hypercalcaemia, hyperparathyroidism, T2DM Atypical presentation of Parkinson's Osteomalacia Infection: flu; septic arthritis/osteomyelitis; TB Fibromyalgia syndrome
SIDEBAR: Which drugs especially can cause myositis? Statins
What investigations should be done in proximal girdle pain? Bloods: ESR/CRP, FBC, U+E, glucose, calcium (PTH if abnormal), TFTs, ANA, RF, anti-CCP, CK Chest x-ray Urine dip
What results would you expect from investigating PMR? Raised ESR/CRP Normochromic/normocytic anaemia (anaemia of chronic disease) Platelets may be raised RF, ANA and anti-CCP would all be negative
Which imaging investigations would be useful in suspected PMR? MRI Ultrasound To show peri-articular inflammation
What is the management of PMR? 15mg prednisolone for 2 weeks (patients should report a 70% improvement; refer to specialist if patient is <60, there are red flags, there is no response to steroid, it is an atypical presentation etc)
What is the initial dose of prednisolone for PMR and what is the regime for reducing it to a maintenance dose? 10-20mg for 1 month Reduce to 10mg by 2.5mg every 2-4 weeks Reduce by 1mg every 4-6 weeks (or until symptoms return)
What is the maintenance dose of prednisolone for PMR most people get stuck at and what is the regime for withdrawal? 5-7mg/day for 6 months Final reduction by 1mg every 6-8 weeks
How long is the treatment course for PMR? 2 years (But a lot of people take 3)
Which drugs can be used as steroid-sparing agents in PMR? Methotrexate Azathioprine
What are the symptoms of temporal arteritis? (Unilateral, constant) Headache Scalp tenderness Altered vision (15%) Jaw or tongue claudication (50%) Nodular swellings Poor pulsation RARE = scalp necrosis, cranial nerve palsy, limb claudication, systemic signs or symptoms
How is TA picked up? History and examination - palpate the temporal arteries Bloods: raised ESR/CRP raised platelets and WCC anaemia ? raised ALP Temporal artery biopsy is the gold standard diagnostic tool. (50% false negative rate due to skip lesions)
What lesion is characteristic of TA on US? Halo sign
What is the management of TA A) without visual symptoms B) with visual symptoms? A) Prednisolone 20-40mg daily for 8 weeks. Reduce by 5mg every 3-4 weeks At 10mg, treat as PMR B) Prednisolone 40-80mg daily for 8 weeks. Reduce to 20mg daily over 4 weeks. Treat as uncomplicated TA
A) How long are steroids weaned in TA? B) What is the threshold for using steroid-sparing drugs? A) 1 year-18 months B) Low
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