title: Left atrial myxoma detected after an initial diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica.
abstract: We herein report the case of a 69-year-old woman with left atrial myxoma detected following treatment with glucocorticoids for an initial diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). The glucocorticoids markedly improved the patient's symptoms, and the tumor was excised after rapidly tapering the glucocorticoid dose. The PMR-like symptoms did not recur and the inflammatory marker levels returned to normal after surgery. The patient's clinical course indicated that the initial PMR-like symptoms were entirely caused by the left atrial myxoma. This case demonstrates that glucocorticoid treatment for suspected PMR can mask the symptoms of myxoma, leading to a delay in diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Tokyo Dental College, Ichikawa General Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mano
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshizawa
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Itabashi
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohki
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Mitsuharu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Hankei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Youichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006325:Heart Atria; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D009232:Myxoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D011111:Polymyalgia Rheumatica / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids