Table 2.
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)-related characteristics of responders
| All | Female | Male | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median (IQR) pain score (NRS) | 8 (7, 9) | 8 (7, 10) | 8 (7, 9) | 0.0005 |
| Median (IQR) stiffness score (NRS) | 8 (7, 9) | 8 (7, 9) | 8 (6, 9) | 0.0049 |
| Times of day when stiffness present (n, %)a | ||||
| None | 15 (2.3) | 10 (2.5) | 5 (2.0) | 0.724 |
| Morning | 619 (95.2) | 387 (95.6) | 232 (94.7) | 0.617 |
| Lunchtime | 368 (56.6) | 227 (56.1) | 141 (57.6) | 0.708 |
| Afternoon | 357 (54.9) | 219 (54.1) | 138 (56.3) | 0.576 |
| Early evening | 394 (60.6) | 257 (63.5) | 137 (55.9) | 0.057 |
| Late evening | 446 (68.6) | 288 (71.1) | 158 (64.5) | 0.078 |
| During the night | 467 (71.9) | 302 (74.6) | 165 (67.4) | 0.047 |
| Duration of morning stiffness (n, %) | 0.491 | |||
| None | 12 (1.9) | 8 (2.0) | 4 (1.7) | |
| 1–15 minutes | 31 (4.9) | 16 (4.0) | 15 (6.3) | |
| 16–45 minutes | 69 (10.8) | 41 (10.3) | 28 (11.7) | |
| 46–60 minutes | 72 (11.3) | 50 (12.6) | 22 (9.2) | |
| > 1 hour | 454 (71.2) | 283 (71.1) | 171 (71.3) | |
| Able to raise both arms above head when first saw GP (n, %) | 0.101 | |||
| Yes | 186 (28.8) | 107 (26.6) | 79 (32.5) | |
| No | 413 (64.0) | 261 (64.9) | 152 (62.6) | |
| Don’t know | 46 (7.1) | 34 (8.5) | 12 (4.9) | |
| Use of prednisolone (n, %) | 0.484 | |||
| Yes | 626 (96.9) | 390 (96.5) | 236 (97.5) | |
| No | 20 (3.1) | 14 (3.5) | 6 (2.5) | |
| Other medications for PMR (n, %)a | ||||
| Paracetamol | 248 (37.9) | 176 (43.2) | 72 (29.2) | <0.0001 |
| Paracetamol and codeine | 137 (21.0) | 96 (23.6) | 41 (16.6) | 0.033 |
| Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories | 69 (10.6) | 44 (10.8) | 25 (10.1) | 0.781 |
| Strong prescription painkillers | 86 (13.2) | 62 (15.2) | 24 (9.7) | 0.043 |
| Gastro-protection | 332 (50.8) | 210 (51.6) | 122 (49.4) | 0.585 |
| Calcium and vitamin D | 304 (46.5) | 199 (48.9) | 105 (42.5) | 0.113 |
| Osteoporosis treatments | 170 (26.0) | 119 (29.2) | 51 (20.7) | 0.015 |
| Alternative therapies | 26 (4.0) | 20 (4.9) | 6 (2.4) | 0.115 |
| Anti-depressants | 55 (8.4) | 47 (11.6) | 8 (3.2) | <0.0001 |
| Other | 100 (15.3) | 55 (13.5) | 45 (18.2) | 0.105 |
aCan sum to >100 %, as respondents were able to choose more than one option. NRS numerical rating scales