Epidemiology of polymyalgia rheumatica in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1970-1991.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the incidence, prevalence, and survival of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) over a 22-year period in Olmsted County, Minnesota.


METHODS
Using the unified record system at the Mayo Clinic for the Olmsted County population, we reviewed all medical records with a diagnosis of PMR from 1970 through 1991.


RESULTS
There were 245 (173 female; 72 male) incidence cases of PMR between 1970 and 1991. The average annual age- and sex-adjusted incidence of PMR per 100,000 population > or = 50 years was 52.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] 45.9-59.2), with a significantly higher incidence in females (61.7; 95% CI 52.3-71.2) than in males (39.9; 95% CI 30.7-49.2). The incidence varied over the period of observation, but no significant trends were found. The prevalence of PMR among persons > or = 50 years on January 1, 1992 was 6/1,000. There was a small but significantly increased survival rate among male PMR patients compared with the general population.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data demonstrate that PMR is a common nonfatal disease in the elderly, the incidence and clinical manifestations of which have varied but remained relatively stable over the last 2 decades.
Salvarani
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Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905.
Gabriel
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O'Fallon
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Hunder
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GG
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota / Q000453:epidemiology; D011111:Polymyalgia Rheumatica / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015996:Survival Rate