Geriatric Syndromes in Polymyalgia Rheumatica: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Purpose: Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a common inflammatory disorder in the elderly. Geriatric syndromes as losses in activities of daily living, fraility, nutritional deficits and sarcopenia were conditions that become increasingly prevalent with age. Whilist PMR is a disease mostly affects geriatric population, there is a scarce data about PMR and possible accompanying geriatric syndromes. We examined prevalence of the accompanying geriatric syndromes in PMR patients and compare with age (±<5years) and sex matched controls. Methods: Ten patients (8 female/2 male) diagnosed with PMR according to ACR/EULAR 2012 provisional PMR criteria and ten healthy controls were included to present study. Losses in activities of daily living was evaluated with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) Nutritional status were assessed with Mini-Nutritional Assessment Short Form. Muscle strength evaluated with hand grip test. Patients with lowered muscle strength were labeled as probable sarcopenia according to The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2) 2018. Results: The mean age was 75±7,9 for patients and 75,7±7,9 6,6 for controls (p=0.9). Mean hand grip strength was significantly lower in PMR patients (p=0.04) and probable sarcopenia was strikingly more common in patient group (p=0.01). Difference between the groups in terms of activities of daily living, nutritional status was non-significant. Conclusion: Higher prevalence of sarcopenia was disclosed at immune mediated rheumatic disease patients in the previous studies. Current study indicates that PMR patients were significantly more prone to probable sarcopenia. Further efforts are needed to ameliorate the patients’ care, quality of life and well-being.