Polymyalgia Rheumatica Differential Diagnoses

  • Author: Patricia J Papadopoulos, MD; Chief Editor: Herbert S Diamond, MD   more...
 
Updated: Apr 4, 2012
 
 

Diagnostic Considerations

Problems to be considered in the differential diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica include the following:

  • Acute or chronic infection to include occult infections or endocarditis
  • Bursitis/tendinitis
  • Cervical spondylosis
  • Dermatomyositis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Depression
  • Malignancy
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Myopathy
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Parkinson disease
  • Elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis
  • Elderly-onset systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema (RS3PE)
  • Shoulder disorders (eg, shoulder synovitis, rotator cuff tendinitis, and subdeltoid bursitis)
  • Calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease
  • Late-onset ankylosing spondylitis
  • Vasculitis (eg, giant cell arteritis)
  • Amyloidosis

Differential Diagnoses

Proceed to Workup
 
 
Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Patricia J Papadopoulos, MD  Key Clinical Faculty, Rheumatology Service, Department of Medicine, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Patricia J Papadopoulos, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, and American College of Rheumatology

Disclosure: Merck Ownership interest Own stock

Coauthor(s)

Ehab R Saad, MD, MA, FACP, FASN  Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin

Ehab R Saad, MD, MA, FACP, FASN is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, American Geriatrics Society, American Society of Nephrology, and National Kidney Foundation

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Gloria Fioravanti, DO  Clinical Assistant Professor, Program Director, Department of Internal Medicine, St Luke's Hospital of Bethlehem, Temple University School of Medicine

Gloria Fioravanti, DO is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine and American Osteopathic Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Allen Samuels, MD  Consulting Staff, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, St Luke's Hospital, Lehigh Valley Hospital, Pocono Medical Center

Allen Samuels, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Rheumatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Herbert S Diamond, MD  Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Chairman Emeritus, Department of Internal Medicine, Western Pennsylvania Hospital

Herbert S Diamond, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians, American College of Rheumatology, American Medical Association, and Phi Beta Kappa

Disclosure: Merck Ownership interest Other; Smith Kline Ownership interest Other; Zimmer Ownership interest Other

Additional Contributors

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the US Government. Additionally, this publication does not imply the Federal or Department of Defense endorsement of any product.

Past Contributors

Michael S Beeson, MD, MBA, FACEP Professor of Emergency Medicine, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and Pharmacy; Attending Faculty, Akron General Medical Center

Michael S Beeson, MD, MBA, FACEP is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors, National Association of EMS Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Gino A Farina, MD, FACEP, FAAEM Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Program Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Long Island Jewish Medical Center

Gino A Farina, MD, FACEP, FAAEM is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Elliot Goldberg, MD Dean of the Western Pennsylvania Clinical Campus, Professor, Department of Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine

Elliot Goldberg, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians, and American College of Rheumatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Kristine M Lohr, MD, MS Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Center for the Advancement of Women's Health and Division of Rheumatology, Director, Rheumatology Training Program, University of Kentucky College of Medicine

Kristine M Lohr, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians and American College of Rheumatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Geofrey Nochimson, MD Consulting Staff, Department of Emergency Medicine, Sentara Careplex Hospital

Geofrey Nochimson, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Robert E O'Connor, MD, MPH Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia Health System

Robert E O'Connor, MD, MPH is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Physician Executives, American Heart Association, American Medical Association, Medical Society of Delaware, National Association of EMS Physicians, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, and Wilderness Medical Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

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