Demographic and clinical features of the 222 patients with polymyalgia rheumatica.
| Characteristic | |
|---|---|
| Age at diagnosis, yrs, mean ± SD (range) | 71 ± 8 (51–91) |
| Women/men | 154/68 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2, mean ± SD | 25.8 ± 4.0 |
| Smokers | |
| Current | 13 |
| Past | 32 |
| Duration of disease, mo, mean ± SD (range) | 49 ± 26 (8–112) |
| Duration of followup, mo, mean ± SD (range) | 60 ± 22 (12–146) |
| Duration of GC* therapy, mo, mean ± SD (range) | 46 ± 22 (6–111) |
| GC* starting dose, mg, mean ± SD (range) | 15 ± 4 (12–20) |
| Cumulative dose of GC*, g, mean ± SD (range) | 4.4 ± 2.6 (1–19) |
| Methotrexate users (%) | 66 (30) |
| At start | 30 |
| At baseline, n (%) | |
| High cholesterol | 101 (45) |
| High triglycerides | 54 (24) |
| Arterial hypertension | 106 (48) |
| Cardiovascular disease** | 11 (5) |
| Osteoporosis | 50 (23) |
| Fragility fractures after age 50 | 11 (5) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 26 (12) |