Læknablaðið - 15.08.1989, Qupperneq 40

222
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SUMMARY
Symptoms, signs, laboratory parameters, treatment
and fate of all patients, diagnosed as having
polymyalgia rheumatica and/or temporal arteritis
at Landakotsspítali in Reykjavík during the years
1970 to 1984 were studied retrospectally.
A total of 68 patients were diagnosed as having
either or both diseases, 39 (57,6%) females and
29 (42,7%) males. Those diseases are diagnosed
with increasing frequency in recent years. The
sex ratio was found different from most other
places where the diseases are 4 to 5 times more
common among females than males. 2 patients
were diagnosed before the age of 50. 10 patients
had had symptoms for less than four weeks at
the time of diagnosis. 27,9% had ESR below
50. We propose the following criteria for the
diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica: Age above
50, symptoms lasting for more than four weeks at
the time of diagnosis and ESR above 50 are not
valid. A higher percentage of our patients was
receiving steroid treatment for more than three
years than in most other studies. Those patients
in whom temporal arteritis was found did receive
steroids for shorter period of time than those
having polymyalgia rheumatica but their average
maintenance dose was higher and so was their
ESR.
HEIMILDIR
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Fauci. Harrison’s Principles of Intemal Medicine:
USA, McGrawHill 1987.
2. Nancy Bates Allen and Stephanie A. Studenski.
Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Temporal Arteritis.
Medical Clinics of North America; 1986; 70: 369-
84.
3. Park JR, Jones JG, Hazleman BL. Relationship of the
erythrocyte sedimentation rate to acute phase proteins
in polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis.
Annals Rheum Dis 1981; 40:493-5.
4. Boesen P, Freiesleben Sörensen s. Giant Cell
Arteritis, Temporal Arteritis and Polymyalgia
Rheumatica in a Danish County: A prospective
investigation 1982-1985. Arthritis and Rheumatism,
1987; 30: 294-9.
5. Gentric A, Baccine E, Mottier D. Temporal Arteritis
Revealed by a syndrome of Inappropriate Secretion
of Antidiuretic Hormone. Am J Med 1988; 85: 559-
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6. Anderson R. Giant Cell Arteritis. Acta Med Scand
1988; 224: 193-4.
7. Chuang T, Hunder GG, Ilstrup DM, et al.
Polymyalgia Rheumatica: A 10 year epidemiologic
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