Has anyone had their voice affected by Pmr? I have read that it is.

Hello @tsharkey01, I haven't had any voice related problems when my PMR was active but I'm sure you aren't alone. I'm hoping we have some members that can share their experience with you. I did find some information that sounds similar to what you are describing.

" Lung involvement in polymyalgia rheumatica is rare and has been observed in the form of respiratory symptoms such as cough due to upper airway inflammation or vasculitis, pulmonary nodules and infiltrates or vasculitis of the pulmonary arteries or smaller pulmonary blood vessels."
--- Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia associated with polymyalgia rheumatica: https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/erj/13/4/926.full.pdf.

Do you have any cough or other chest or lung symptoms? Have you discussed the symptoms with your doctor or rheumatologist?

Yes in the morning I have a mild irritation in the throat resulting in a couph till I get a drink of water.
I will share this with my rheumatologist in December when I have my next appointment. My voice is pretty much normal in the morning but then deteriorates during the day.

Hello. I was also wondering about the strange hoarseness in my throat about a month before I was diagnosed. It developed into what I thought was strep that developed quite rapidly to tonsillitis with abscess in my left tonsil. Got to the ER asap cause my airway was getting compromised. Came close to being intubated. Dexamethasone prevented that. ENT did a needle centesis to drain my tonsil f/w IV antibiotics and a short course of prednisolone after discharge. Nearly a nightmare experience for me. Maybe there is a connection to the onset of my PMR, I don't know. A few weeks later is when I noticed my hips were stiffening to the point of losing flexibility to reach down and tie my shoes. The other classic symptoms followed. What you're describing is something I would contact my doctor about. When I worked in Respiratory Care I don't recall a patient that was totally refractory to steroid therapy. Some had to be on higher doses than others to achieve the desired goal. Studies do show that some asthmatics and RA patients don't respond well to steroids. I have come to notice how different we are in our individual tx/care plan. But at the same we all share the same disease. Wish you the best. Stay proactive with your knowledge base. I think a Pulmonologist consult could be very helpful.

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Yes, my voice was affected with PMR, I think due to inflammation of my upper airways. It went away as I was treated and the inflammation subsided.

Be alert for GCA symptoms and mention this to your doctor. They might want to check your bloodwork again, because hoarseness can be a rare symptom of GCA, which is more serious than PMR and occurs in about 20 % of cases. Unfortunately, I now have both.

Thanks for the information. I’m due to get blood work done I. The next month. What are the markers with Gia?

So pleased and somewhat reassured to read this . Diagnosed with PMR October 2024 and have been on Steroids since . The last couple of months my voice has changed , well the pitch has , the vocal cords are up and down so weird and I cannot sing ! Mind you don’t feel like it at times . Everyone thinks I have a sore throat or laryngitis but I haven’. I told my doctor about it who arranged for investigation via the nose 7 weeks ago still waiting for an appointment , but it has been worrying me , so I typed it in on the internet to see if it there could be a connection to PMR or the steroids , so am pleased and reassured to see others mentioning similar , thank you!

My voice changed for a few months. I didn't know if it was the PMR or Prednisone. I blame all my weird symptoms on Prednisone!

Thank you ☺️