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Health Information
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Saturday, November 22, 2008
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POLYMYALGIA RHEUMATICA
AND GIANT CELL ARTERITIS
KEY WORDS
Go
to Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis fact sheet
Antibody:
A special protein produced
by the body’s immune system that recognizes and helps fight infectious
agents and other foreign substances that invade the body.
Artery:
Any tubular, branching
vessel that carries blood from the heart throughout the body.
Arthritis:
Literally means joint
inflammation. It is a general term for more than 100 conditions
known as rheumatic diseases. These diseases affect not only the
joints but also other parts of the body, including important supporting
structures such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments, as well as
some internal organs.
Atrophy:
The wasting away of
a body part or tissue.
Benign:
A mild disease or condition
that is not life threatening.
Biopsy:
The removal of tissue
or cells from a person to examine them for signs of disease.
Corticosteroids:
Potent anti-inflammatory
hormones that are made naturally in the body or synthetically
(man-made) for use as drugs. They also are called glucocorticoids.
The most commonly prescribed drug of this type is prednisone.
Erythrocyte
Sedimentation Rate:
A blood test that measures
the speed at which red blood cells settle on the bottom of a test
tube. A high sedimentation rate signals possible inflammatory
disease. Also referred to as the "sed rate" or ESR.
Giant
Cell Arteritis:
A disease causing inflammation
of the temporal arteries and other arteries in the head and neck.
Inflammation causes the arteries to narrow, reducing blood flow
in the affected areas. The condition may cause persistent headaches
and vision loss. It is also known as cranial arteritis, temporal
arteritis, or Horton’s disease.
Immune
System:
A complex network of
specialized cells and organs that work together to defend the
body against attacks by "foreign" invaders such as bacteria and
viruses. In some rheumatic conditions, it appears that the immune
system does not function properly and may even work against the
body.
Incidence:
The number of new cases
of a particular disease that occur in a population during a defined
period of time, usually one year.
Inflammation:
A characteristic reaction
of tissues to injury or disease. It is marked by four signs: swelling,
redness, heat, and pain.
Methotrexate:
A drug often used to
treat cancer that is also used in lower doses to treat some forms
of arthritis.
NSAID:
An abbreviation for
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. NSAIDs do not contain corticosteroids
and are used to reduce pain and inflammation. Aspirin and ibuprofen
are two types of NSAIDs.
Occult:
Disease or symptoms
that are not readily detectable by physical examination or laboratory
tests.
Polymyalgia
Rheumatica:
A condition of unknown
cause that affects the lining of joints, particularly in the shoulders
and hips. Symptoms include pain and stiffness, typically in the
neck, shoulders, and hips. It may be associated with giant cell
arteritis.
Predisposition:
A tendency to develop
a certain disease.
Prevalence:
The total number of
people in a population with a certain disease at a given time.
Range
of Motion:
A measurement of the
extent to which a joint can go through all its normal spectrum
of movements.
Rheumatoid
Factor:
A special kind of antibody
often found in people with rheumatoid arthritis.
Synovitis:
Inflammation of the
synovial membrane, the tissue that lines and protects the joint.
Systemic:
Disease or symptoms
that affect many different parts of the body.
Temporal
Arteries:
Vessels located over
the temples on each side of the head, that supply blood to part
of the head.
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