Polymyalgia rheumatica: concerted efforts of the European rheumatological societies

Abstract

Population’s ageing is a prerequisite for a strengthened evidence base of the specific geriatric syndromes, late-onset rheumatic diseases, and rheumatic diseases of the elderly. Among the latter, the most common is polymyalgia rheumatic whose presence and management are associated with the issues of tolerance to ­analgesics and anti-inflammatory medications and timely diagnosis of giant cell arteritis and malignancies. In Europe, namely in the German-speaking countries, there is a significant heterogeneity in the approaches to the polymyalgia rheumatica management persisting in the clinical practice. That is why the guidelines of the German Society of Rheumatology, the Austrian Society of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, the Swiss Society of Rheumatology, and participa­ting expert medical-research societies and other organizations del­ving in this problem, were elaborated and published in 2018. Its evi­dence base, overarching principles and specific recommendations are presented and discussed in the article. The guidelines are compared with the 2015 European League Against Rheumatism’s and the American College of Rheumatology’s recommendations for the management of polymyalgia rheumatica, and the Finnish Medical Association’s guidelines recommended by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine for use in primary care as a new clinical protocol in 2016.

Keywords

• polymyalgia rheumatica
• treatment
• standards
• review