A case report of polymyalgia rheumatica

Abstract

The presented case report concerns a 62-year-old male patient who was admitted to the rheumatology department with a fever, shoulder and hip joint pain, significant limitation of movement in these joints and general weakness. Laboratory test revealed increase of inflammatory parameters, as ESR and C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor and ACPA antibodies were absent. In the course of diagnostics, infections and cancer were excluded. The patient met the classification criteria for polymyalgia rheumatica. Polymyalgia rheumatica is not a rare disease, but the number of elderly people in the world continues to increase, and we can assume that the prevalence of this disease will increase in the coming years. At suspicion on polymyalgia rheumatica, it is necessary to exclude other rheumatic diseases, infections and malignant neoplasms. The authors also presented which diseases should be considered in the differential diagnosis.