Comparing corticosteroid treatment for polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis

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Comparing corticosteroid treatment for polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis

Although corticosteroid treatment for polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA) is similar, there are differences in how much medicine you take, how long you may have to take it, and how you track the condition.

The following table shows general treatment guidelines for the two conditions.

**Treatment choices for PMR and GCA**
	Polymyalgia rheumatica	Giant cell arteritis
Amount of corticosteroid (usually prednisone) you take by mouth (oral) until you have no symptoms and have normal lab tests	5–20 mg a day	40–60 mg a day
How long it takes before symptoms go away or greatly improve	2–7 days	2–7 days
How long it takes for lab tests to become normal	2–3 weeks	2–3 weeks
How often your doctor may reduce your dose after symptoms go away and lab tests are normal	Every 2–4 weeks at first, then less often	Every 2–4 weeks at first, then less often
How long you may take corticosteroids	About 2 years	About 1–2 years, but half of people with the condition take them longer than 2 years
When to keep in touch with your doctor or nurse to track the condition	When taking the corticosteroids 6–12 months after stopping corticosteroids	When taking the corticosteroids 6–12 months after stopping corticosteroids

In both polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis, your symptoms may return after a period of improvement (relapse). If you have a relapse, your doctor may increase your corticosteroid dosage for a period of time and then gradually reduce it after your symptoms are gone.

How long you need to take corticosteroids depends on how severe your condition is, whether it appears cured or not (remission), and how often you have relapses.

If you have polymyalgia rheumatica and do not have giant cell arteritis, your doctor may suggest using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) when you are lowering the dose of your corticosteroid medicine. Always talk to your doctor or nurse before using these medicines.

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Author	Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH
Editor	Kathe Gallagher, MSW
Associate Editor	Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Stanford M. Shoor, MD - Rheumatology
Last Updated	May 8, 2007

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Last updated:	May 08, 2007
Author:	Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH
Reviewed By:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, Stanford M. Shoor, MD - Rheumatology
Editors:	Kathe Gallagher, MSW, Pat Truman, MATC

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