What age were you diagnosed with Polymyalgia Rheu?

66, 45 IS YOUNG BUT IT IS POSSIBLE.   I just finished physical therapy for my rotaor cuffs.  My arms still hurts so much.  But I am going to learn to live with it. i was injured at work, by 2 large girls slamming me into a locker. This is how I spent my summer. Good luck.

I was diagnosed at 72 and again at 78. If prednisones releaves your symptoms,

you probably have PMR. I am amazed that the medical profession has such a difficult time diagnosing PMR.

sizanne970, I was 78 year old male, but you are going to see that some people are in their 30s when diagnosed. Women seem to contract PMR at a younger age than men.

You are in the age range. Good luck on your journey!

I was 65 when diagnosed, but probably had it in a more moderate form for the previous 5 or 6 years. So, it may have started in my late 50's. At the time of diagnosis, one of the symptoms was overnight onset of painful shoulders, which were incorrectly diagnosed as rotator cuff issues. Strong prescription pain meds and muscle relaxants didn't touch the pain. It took a few weeks and a total melt down of a lot of other muscle groups before the diagnosis of PMR was made. I also had ESR and CRP through the roof. (These are blood tests for inflammation, which some have and some do not.)

Hello Suzanne, PMR mainly affects people over the age of 65 but it is not unheard of in people of your age.  However, in view of the other conditions you have suffered from including fibromyalgia over the last 5 years or more I am sure your doctor is trying to look at the wider picture.

Diagnosed at 65

Diagnosed at 44 this year but symptomatic since 43

I just celebrated my 1st anniversary with PMR but it took the doctors until November of last year before they figured out what it was.  I was 61 and had some real rough stretches until my rheumy agreed with splitting my dose morning/evening and taking the reduction of Pred slower (just dropped to 17.5 mg).  Now I'm feeling and working at about 90% of what I was pre-PMR.  I don't dare complain.  

I was 77.  I am now 79.

I was your age i.e. 45 when diagnosed by the rheumatologist but had been seeing GP since 40-he sent me to rheumatologist when maximum dose of diclofenac did not work.Test for PMR involved large injection of steroid in bum.Within 24hrs was scrubbing kitchen floor. QED.Then started on steroid tablets.

I was barely 51 when the recognisable symptoms appeared - but it had been lurking for some time. The guidelines say over 50 - but the medical literature does say that it is wrong to rule it out in younger patients if the criteria otherwise fit. 

The trouble is the papers always say "average age at diagnosis is 72" - possibly, but if there are large numbers in their late 70s and 80s (and there are) there needs to be quite a few who are much younger to pull that average down. PMR is not the disease though - it is the name given to the symptoms caused by an underlying disorder and there are several. It is compounded by the fact that young patients tend also to be atypical in other ways - like being more likely to have normal levels of ESR and CRP. That happens in about 1 in 5 patients anyway - though try telling THAT to many doctors!

I am convinced that there are many young patients out there - labelled by their GPs (and rheumies too) as having fibromyalgia, depression, somatism and hypochondria. Fibro is easy to differentiate - it doesn't have raised markers (ever) and doesn't respond to pred. The others? Not so much. But if a trial of pred results in pain relief and they can't find any other reason for the symptoms - I don't see a problem. Lots of doctors who don't have PMR do unfortunately.

67 and 75.  First diagnosed as OA ( which I still have ) but unusual weight loss and raised ESR and CRP convinced my GP plus dramatic improvement with Prednisolone.

52,  but was diagnosed with " normal aging"  bursitis and Fibromyalgia all first and I refused to accept any of these until a Nurse Practioner in 5 minutes said PMR and tried the 5 day Pred burst....

 

Had just turned 67, but first definite symptoms before I was 65.