Lyme Disease and PMR

Good question @girastancil, PMR is difficult to diagnose and there are other condtions that mimic PMR. Here are a few resources on the topic.

-- Polymyalgia rheumatica or Lyme disease? How to avoid misdiagnosis in older patients:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7816713/
-- Letters: Don’t Forget Lyme Disease When Considering Polymyalgia Rheumatica:
https://www.the-rheumatologist.org/article/letters-dont-forget-lyme-disease-when-considering-polymyalgia-rheumatica/
-- Diseases that mimic polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR): https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/diseases-that-mimic-polymyalgia-rheumatica

thank you so much John

I had Lyme disease for the third time in the summer of 2021. I completed a month of doxycycline in July 2021. In early August I began to develop severe shoulder and hip pain that was diagnosed as PMR a month later. (my doctor had retired and I needed to find a new doctor). I asked Mayo if there was a relationship, but did not get a reply. It has been a year and I have reduced my prednisone from the initial 20 mg. to 2 mg. I tried to go down to 1 mg, but developed a stiff neck and upper back pain. I thought it might be my arthritis, but as soon as a upped my prednisone to 2 mg. I felt much better.

I don’t believe Lyme causes PMR. I was walking around with severe pain for months before the elevated sed rate and CRP showed up in my blood work. I’m on 1/2 mg now and do have pain in upper arms and shoulders. I am not going back on prednisone unless it becomes unbearable. It’s caused other issues for me.

Exactly that was one of the tests they ordered in very beginning for me.

But you don't know correct? I have no sed elevated sed rate and their is ample research linking the too. In addition most doctors will tell you we know very little about lyme. I have all the classic symptoms of PMR and had a nasty jolt of lyme about 4 years ago. Will find out as I've been accepted to the Johns Hopkins clinic studying lyme disease. Will post the results later in the year as I find out.

I hope you get some answers. I just know that I had pain for almost a year before my blood tests were elevated. I also thought it may have been lyme. My husband treats a lot of patients with eye issues from PMR so he knows a lot about the condition. An uphill climbs for sure.

thank you! Would you mind sharing the kinds of eye issues? About the time all this started I had a large floater along with a haze over about a third of my right eye. Also a streak or arc of white light along the left curvature of the eye.

I also would like to hear about eye issues connected with PMR. I was diagnosed with epischleritis in the early 1990's. I go to a corneal specialist for my eyes, but have not been to the corneal specialist since bring diagnosed with PMR.

@flymetothemoon @loyal @girastancil and others wanting to hear more about PMR and eye issues - There is another discussion on the topic here:

-- PMR and vision: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/pmr-and-vision/