<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<bold>Background</bold>: Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory condition closely linked with giant cell arteritis, which is a large vessel vasculitis. To provide real-world evidence on PMR outcomes and their determinants, we conducted a longitudinal study focusing on symptom relief and acute phase reactant normalization.
<bold>Methods</bold>: We followed patients with PMR who were registered in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Vasculitis Registry (TUOMS-VR) until February 2023. We measured sustained remission (primary outcome) and secondary outcomes including glucocorticoids (GCs)-free remission, medication-free remission, relapse rate and disease-induced damage.
<bold>Results</bold>: We identified eighty-one patients with PMR and followed them for a median time of 57 months. In a median duration of 3 weeks, 98.8% of patients achieved symptom control, with 86.4% achieving sustained remission in a median duration of 9 weeks. Sustained remission was more common in non-smokers and adherent to therapy patients. Relapse occurred in 22.1% of patients, primarily due to non-adherence. Medication-free remission was observed in 30.9% of patients, especially among females and those with an initial prednisolone dose > 15 mg/d. Damage occurred in 42.0% of patients.
<bold>Conclusion</bold>: Although sustained remission in PMR is not an unattainable goal in daily practice and most patients are in remission at the last visit, two-thirds of patients require long-term treatment.
</abstract>

Background: Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory condition closely linked with giant cell arteritis, which is a large vessel vasculitis. To provide real-world evidence on PMR outcomes and their determinants, we conducted a longitudinal study focusing on symptom relief and acute phase reactant normalization.
Methods: We followed patients with PMR who were registered in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Vasculitis Registry (TUOMS-VR) until February 2023. We measured sustained remission (primary outcome) and secondary outcomes including glucocorticoids (GCs)-free remission, medication-free remission, relapse rate and disease-induced damage.
Results: We identified eighty-one patients with PMR and followed them for a median time of 57 months. In a median duration of 3 weeks, 98.8% of patients achieved symptom control, with 86.4% achieving sustained remission in a median duration of 9 weeks. Sustained remission was more common in non-smokers and adherent to therapy patients. Relapse occurred in 22.1% of patients, primarily due to non-adherence. Medication-free remission was observed in 30.9% of patients, especially among females and those with an initial prednisolone dose > 15 mg/d. Damage occurred in 42.0% of patients.
Conclusion: Although sustained remission in PMR is not an unattainable goal in daily practice and most patients are in remission at the last visit, two-thirds of patients require long-term treatment.

Outcomes of polymyalgia rheumatica in real-world practice: a longitudinal cohort study

Romanian Journal of Internal Medicine

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Background: Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory condition closely linked with giant cell arteritis, which is a large vessel vasculitis. To provide...

Outcomes of polymyalgia rheumatica in real-world practice: a longitudinal cohort study

Publicado en línea: 12 mar 2024

Páginas: -

Recibido: 06 nov 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rjim-2024-0009

Palabras clave
Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Remission Induction, Patient Outcome Assessment, Treatment Outcome, Recurrence, Drug Therapy, Glucocorticoids

© 2024 Mehran Rahimi et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Outcomes of polymyalgia rheumatica in real-world practice: a longitudinal cohort study

Publicado en línea: 12 mar 2024

Páginas: -

Recibido: 06 nov 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rjim-2024-0009

Palabras clavePolymyalgia Rheumatica, Remission Induction, Patient Outcome Assessment, Treatment Outcome, Recurrence, Drug Therapy, Glucocorticoids

© 2024 Mehran Rahimi et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Palabras clave
Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Remission Induction, Patient Outcome Assessment, Treatment Outcome, Recurrence, Drug Therapy, Glucocorticoids