History of polymyalgia rheumatica: The origin of the pain & link to giant cell arteritis

In this episode, we dive into the history of polymyalgia rheumatica, how it was discovered and its link to giant cell arteritis.

• Intro 0:01
• In this episode 0:10
• What is polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)? 0:24
• The history of PMR 02:12
• PMR in the 1950s: A formally recognized disease 04:52
• What was probably PMR in the 1880s 06:27
• Naming PMR: Senile rheumatic gout 07:26
• 1957: The witch’s shot and finally landing on polymyalgia rheumatica 08:30
• Where is PMR coming from? 14:42
• Injecting joins with saline 16:39
• A biopsy study in 1964 19:54
• Technetium bone scintigraphy in 1971 and bone scan history 23:01
• First look at a PMR ultrasound in 1993 27:00
• 1997: First use of MRI on PMR patients in Italy 27:49
• Going back to 1962: PMRs association with giant cell arteritis 30:40
• A paper on muscular involvement in giant cell arteritis: 80-year-old ‘robust’ partially blind seaman 32:15
• First systematic approach: The link between PMR and giant cell arteritis 35:14
• 80 cases of PMR 38:13
• Swedish autopsy studies 41:07
• Introduction of advanced imaging in the 1990s 42:40
• Summing up PMR through the decades 43:28
• That is the end! 45:25
• Thanks for listening 45:50

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Brown at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter @HRheuminations @AdamJBrownMD @HealioRheum.

References:
Bruk MI. Ann Rheum Dis. 1967;doi:10.1136/ard.26.2.103.
Cantini F, et al. J Rheumatol. 2001;28(5):1049-55.
De Miguel E, et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2024;doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kead189.
Dixon AS, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 1966;doi:10.1136/ard.25.3.203.
Hamrin B, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 1968;doi:10.1136/ard.27.5.397.
Salvarani C, et al. Ann Intern Med. 1997;doi:10.7326/0003-4819-127-1-199707010-00005.
Shah S, et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2025;doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keae569.

Disclosures: Brown reports no relevant financial disclosures.