There is no universally agreed upon or thoroughly validated set of criteria for the diagnosis of PMR. In the absence of any pathognomonic test, we use the following three criteria for the clinical diagnosis of PMR(1,2):

1. Age 50 years or older at onset

2. Bilateral aching and morning stiffness (lasting 30 minutes or more) persisting for at least one month, and involving at least two of the following three areas: neck or torso, shoulders or proximal regions of the arms, and hips or proximal aspects of the thighs

3. ESR (Westergren) elevated to 40 mm/h or more

Some authors add a prompt response of symptoms to corticosteroids as an additional criterion. On the other hand, the presence of another disease to explain the findings excludes the diagnosis.

 

 

Criteria Bird/Wood (3)

Three or more of the following, or at least one of the following plus positive results on temporal artery biopsy:

1. Bilateral shoulder pain and/or stiffness

2. Less than two weeks from onset of symptoms to maximal symptoms

3. ESR greater than 40 mm per hour

4. Morning stiffness lasting longer than one hour

5. Patient older than 65 years

6. Depression and/or weight loss

7. Bilateral upper arm tenderness

 

Criteria Jones and Hazleman (4)

All of the following:

1. Shoulder and pelvic girdle muscle pain without weakness

2. Morning stiffness

3. Symptom duration of more than two months unless treated

4. ESR greater than 30 mm per hour or C-reactive protein level greater than 6 mg per L

5. No rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory arthritis or malignant neoplasm

6. No objective signs of muscle disease

7. Prompt and dramatic response to systemic corticosteroid therapy

 

 

ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

 

 

 

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