Does PMR run in families?
A year ago my twin sister and I were both diagnosed with PMR a week apart. Different doctors, different ailments. Had never heard of PMR before. We are female and 74 years old. Does this run in families?
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Support Group.
I think the jury is still deliberating whether or not genetics is involved in PMR and GCA. It would not surprise me if there was a genetic link.
I have a proven genetic link to autoimmune disorders. It is called the HLA-B27 syndrome. However, having this gene doesn't guarantee you will develop the autoimmune syndrome. I don't think this syndrome includes PMR but the symptoms are just like PMR. My symptoms originally started when I was "too young" to have PMR. I didn't learn about PMR until I was old enough to have PMR in addition to the rest.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551523/
---------------------------
There is some research that suggests a genetic link to PMR but nothing that is proven as far as I know.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC128892/
----------------------------
What is clear from what I have read is the following: Having one autoimmune condition increases the risk of having other autoimmune conditions.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3150011/
--------------------
In general, autoimmune conditions are a dysregulation of the immune system. Sometimes the immune system is said to be deranged.
https://www.uab.edu/medicine/immunologyinstitute/research-cores/research-interests/immune-dysregulation-autoimmunity-and-allergy
Thank you for this information and the links. I'm in my 11th year of remission from Vasculitis EGPA and thought that it had come back a year ago - apparently not. It is interesting that I would be predisposed to additional autoimmune conditions. I'm wondering how much stress plays a part.
"I'm wondering how much stress plays a part."
--------------------
More than most people realize.
https://www.autoimmuneinstitute.org/articles/stress-autoimmune-disease-navigating-the-complex-relationship/
--------------------
I'm always impressed by the delicate balance of the immune system. Throwing Prednisone into the works doesn't seem like such a good idea to me .
Prednisone replaces the hormone cortisol which is commonly called the "stress hormone."
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22187-cortisol
It has long been thought there is a genetic predisposition. In Europe there is a higher incidence of PMR in Scandinavian countries than in southern Europe. There is a high incidence in Minnesota among Scandinavian immigrants. It could be a difference in light exposure in northern vs southern areas or in the diet that differs due to culture and the foods that are available. There is no proof that it is genetics. In my case my father had PMR and GCA and I definitely had PMR and now most likely have GCA. My father's mother was of Scottish heritage and I have some Scottish and Norwegian heritage according to an Ancestry DNA test. My mother had German ancestry. She may have had PMR since she had bilateral hip and shoulder pain in her 60's that no doctor could diagnose. She was otherwise healthy and died of unknown causes in her sleep at 64. My father went on to live a healthy, high-functioning life before dying at home at 103.
"The presence of the HLA-B27 allele varies by geographic region, with more prevalence at northern latitudes. In the United States, the estimated prevalence is six to eight percent."
I tried moving south during the winter but it didn't help. My rheumatologist said to take more Vitamin D because people in the north tend to lack enough sunshine during the winter.
My sister and I have both been hit with PMR in the last decade. My sister, 4 years younger than me, was diagnosed with PMR 7 or 8 years ago during a very stressful time in her life. She has recovered but had a very difficult 18 months when the disease was at its worst. I am just recovering from my own 18 months of struggle, less severe but still debilitating at its worst. My onset coincided with a shingles vaccine. My father’s family of origin is from Sweden, giving us connections to the northern European associations.
Most all people I know with PMR are of Scandinavian/Northern European descent. I am mostly Danish.
I came down with PMR in my 60s at a stressful time. My mother came down with “bursitis” at a stressful time in her life in her 60s. Her mother became a semi-invalid at a stressful time in her life and later lost some vision. I didn’t know her. Mostly Scottish heritage. But those Vikings got around!