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Polymyalgia rheumatica facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Polymyalgia rheumatica (say "pol-ee-my-AL-juh roo-muh-TIK-uh"), often called PMR for short, is a health condition that causes pain and stiffness. It mainly affects the joints and muscles in the upper body, like the shoulders, neck, and hips. People with PMR often feel the most pain and stiffness in the morning. Sometimes, the pain can also appear in the late afternoon or evening.

PMR is more common in women than in men. It usually affects people who are 50 years old or older. It's very rare for younger people to get PMR.

What is Polymyalgia Rheumatica?

PMR is a type of syndrome, which means it's a group of symptoms that often happen together. The main symptoms are pain and stiffness in the muscles and joints. This stiffness can make it hard to move, especially after resting or waking up.

How Doctors Find PMR

Doctors use different ways to figure out if someone has PMR. They will ask about your symptoms and do a physical check-up.

Blood Tests

One important blood test doctors use is called the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) test. This test measures how quickly your red blood cells settle to the bottom of a test tube.

  • If the cells settle quickly, it means there might be inflammation in your body. Inflammation is when parts of your body get swollen, red, or painful.
  • A high ESR value can suggest that PMR or another inflammatory condition is present.

Treating Polymyalgia Rheumatica

The main medicine used to treat PMR is called Prednisone. This medicine helps to reduce inflammation and pain.

How Prednisone Helps

  • Prednisone is a type of steroid medicine. It works by calming down the body's immune system, which helps to lower inflammation.
  • Many people feel much better just a few hours or days after starting Prednisone. The pain and stiffness often get a lot better very quickly.
  • People usually need to take Prednisone for more than a year. The doctor will carefully watch how the person is doing and slowly lower the dose over time.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Polimialgia reumática para niños

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