HEALTH FIRST RHEUMATOLOGIST Sheetal Patel, MD, recently discussed the ailment polymyalgia rheumatica with a Vero News reporter. There is no specific test to diagnose the condition which hits about one in 1,200 each year.

There’s no specific test to diagnose polymyalgia rheumatica, and whether it’s genetic, triggered by a virus or even seasonal – or a combination – is theoretical at this point. But Health First Rheumatologist Sheetal Patel, MD, says that the surest therapy has been prednisone, the trusty, fast-acting steroid that carries a host of unwanted side effects.

Now, the Federal Drug Administration has approved Kevzara, an interleukin-6 receptor blocker, which suppresses the body’s natural immune system that, in this disease course, attacks healthy tissue.

Dr. Patel told Vero News that disease onset may take up to two weeks. It is marked by pain and stiffness developing primarily in the shoulders and hips, often resulting in a frustrating limitation in a person’s natural range of motion.

READ the full health feature in Vero News HERE.