Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List
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Diagnosis of Polymyalgia rheumatica
Doctors commonly use the following two tests on blood samples to determine whether you have PMR:
- The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR or sed rate). This test measures how quickly your red blood cells fall to the bottom of a test tube – they generally fall faster when inflammation is present.
- The C-reactive protein test (CRP). CRP is a protein made by the liver. The test measures the amount of CRP in your blood. A high or increasing amount of CRP in your blood suggests inflammation.
If the blood tests show a high level of inflammation and you have typical symptoms – then this is usually enough to confirm that you have PMR.
These types of blood tests will be continued throughout treatment to make sure that the medication is working.
Your doctor may also need to give you a rheumatoid factor (RF) test is rule out the possibility of arthritis. RF is an antibody (a part of the blood produced by the immune system to destroy harmful bacteria and viruses). RF is often present in the blood of people with arthritis, but not in the blood of those with PMR.
