Has anyone been diagnosed with peripheral vascular disease after PMR ?

Posted by maye @maye, Dec 28, 2024

Hi all I’d be very interested to know has anyone developed Peripheral Vascular Disease involving legs after a PMR/ GCA diagnosis??

Just 6months after my PMR diagnosis I received Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD ) diagnosis . It severely affected major arteries in both my legs . I required urgent balloon angioplasty both legs for greater than 75% blockages .
I still have some significant tibial artery narrowing. I may need further surgery at a later date ??

My PVD medical emergency was so surprising to me and to the Drs because I have none of the traditional risk factors and have never been on any medications til the end of last year .

I am a normally active 66yr old female, never smoked, no alcohol, not obese or overweight, eat mostly plant based diet, normal cholesterol, No hypertension , I am not diabetic , no family history of PVD .

The thinking is that inflammation from PMR causes a “chemical cascade “ producing an escalation of arterial plaque raising the risk of heart and arterial disease . Luckily I do not have any cardiac involvement , just peripheral involvement of leg arteries.

October 2023 PMR diagnosis

March 2024 PVD diagnosis and surgeries.

October 2024 diagnosis GCA of large vessels ( no cranial or temporal involvement)

Let’s see what 2025 brings ?!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Support Group.

aisp3b | @aisp3b | Dec 28, 2024

I luckily don't have PVD. Just wondering if you had PMR long before you were diagnosed and medicated for it. So many Drs aren't knowledgbable about PMR.. I also participate in FB group called "Living With PMR" and so many members went many months before having their PMR addressed. I imagine that would be harmful.

robinrae | @robinrae | Dec 28, 2024

Wow...you have been through so much in the last 2 years! Here's hoping that 2025 brings healing!

maye | @maye | Dec 28, 2024

In reply to @robinrae "Wow...you have been through so much in the last 2 years! Here's hoping that 2025 brings..." + (show)

Thank you Robinrae, and to you and all too.

maye | @maye | Dec 28, 2024

In reply to @aisp3b "I luckily don't have PVD. Just wondering if you had PMR long before you were diagnosed..." + (show)

Thanks aisp3b for the facebook support group suggestion. I’m actually not on FB for various reasons, mostly privacy.
My PMR onset was sudden and dramatic. I don’t believe there was a big delay in diagnosis and referral to rheumatologist .

reets70 | @reets70 | Dec 29, 2024

It is my understanding that PMR is a vascular condition, so it doesn’t surprise me that you are having the difficulties you describe. I too have had terrible leg pain, and two months after my diagnosis ( March, 2023) I suffered with a torn tendon in my leg. This was so surprising because up until my diagnosis, I was walking 3 miles a day, playing golf 3 times a week! Suddenly, I couldn’t do anything. Now, one and a half years later, I developed a blood clot in my lung, which surprised me even more! Still on prednisone too, and I believe that is causing all of these other conditions. Seeing my rheumatologist in two weeks and will try again to wean off.

michik | @michik | Dec 29, 2024

That is a lot to have to deal with and go through in such a short amount of time! Wishing you a 2025 that is kinder to you and brings about healing and good health.

kathyv66 | @kathyv66 | Dec 30, 2024

Yes, I have PVD - specifically, behind both knees which means my lower legs do not receive adequate blood flow/oxygen and cramp up if I walk at my former regular pace for about 400 meters. I developed PMR Sept 2020 but wasn't diagnosed until Dec 2021 (yes, it was super painful but I had some other medical stuff going on plus the added confusion of covid- lack of activity and working from home). My PVD developed sometime during that period but I didn't really identify it as separate pain until summer 2021 and then was diagnosed in summer 2022. My docs keep treating everything as separate whereas I strongly believe some of it is related - so I am a little excited to see you have observed a relationship between PMR and PVD

maye | @maye | Dec 30, 2024

In reply to @kathyv66 "Yes, I have PVD - specifically, behind both knees which means my lower legs do not..." + (show)

Kathyv66
Yes not just my observation re PMR and peripheral vascular disease . It’s a medically recognised association in other autoimmune diseases, most notably with rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus (SLE).

I guess It’s the same principle with PMR and peripheral vascular disease and the raised inflammation that causes many other pathological changes.

PMR raises the risk for heart disease too . I was told of heart disease risk at diagnosis of PMR , but because I was so low risk ( ideal wt, not diabetic, optimal blood pressure and cholesterol , never smoked etc)
Drs didn’t take my leg pain (claudication) as a vascular issue at first until it became evident it was an emergency with severely narrowed arteries and feet with very poor pulses.
Considering my previous excellent health history, they and I couldn’t believe we were dealing with peripheral vascular disease!

Shared files

Peripheral arterial disease in polymyalgia rheumatica - PMC (Peripheral-arterial-disease-in-polymyalgia-rheumatica-PMC.pdf)

kathyv66 | @kathyv66 | Dec 30, 2024

In reply to @maye "Kathyv66 Yes not just my observation re PMR and peripheral vascular disease . It’s a medically..." + (show)

So, the surgery you had blew out the claudification? (in simple terms). My Vascular specialist won't recommend surgery until it gets so bad that I am at risk of amputation. Fortunately, mine does not seem to be getting worse and I can somewhat manage the symptoms by walking slower or taking little breaks. It seems to vary in intensity - even weather feels like it impacts it.

maye | @maye | Dec 30, 2024

In reply to @kathyv66 "So, the surgery you had blew out the claudification? (in simple terms). My Vascular specialist won't..." + (show)

I hear you kathyv66, know what it’s like to not be at usual physical activity level. ( don’t we all !)
Your surgeon is right to be conservative . Understandably there are considerable risks accessing and clearing arteries , be it peripheral in the legs ( or arms ) or cardiovascular.
PVD is a serious systemic condition to deal with.

If you can manage walking that’s great, it is recommended with PVD because it can stimulate growth of extra compensatory capillaries to get blood and oxygen to the legs . You may never need surgery ( I hope for you ) But if you do it’s great to know we live in the western world with life ( and limb) saving medicines and surgery available to us should we need it .

My surgeries were necessary because I was at a critical point with poor pulses and could barely walk 20 meters.

Definitely cold weather affects PVD , constricting blood vessels. I’m in summer now in Sydney (Australia) which is optimal. I’m thankful for the vascular surgeon’s handiwork, and am doing plenty walking now .