https://doi.org/10.4081/reumatismo.2024.1673
Did the first description of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica take place in Scotland or in Denmark?
Submitted: 29 October 2023
Accepted: 22 December 2023
Published: 22 March 2024
Accepted: 22 December 2023
Abstract Views: 1885
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
The first description of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is generally attributed to Dr. Bruce. In an 1888 article entitled Senile rheumatic gout, he described five male patients aged from 60 to 74 years whom he had visited at the Strathpeffer spa in Scotland. In 1945, Dr. Holst and Dr. Johansen reported on five female patients examined over several months at the Medical Department of Roskilde County Hospital in Denmark. These patients suffered from hip, upper arms, and neck pain associated with elevated ESR and constitutional manifestations such as low-grade fever or loss of weight. In the same year, Meulengracht, another Danish physician, reported on two patients with shoulder pain and stiffness associated with fever, weight loss, and an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate. As in the five patients reported by Dr. Holst and Dr. Johansen, a prolonged recovery time was recorded. On reading and comparing these three accounts, we question whether it is correct to attribute the first description of PMR to Dr. Bruce and put forward shifting this accolade to the three Danish physicians.
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How to Cite
Manzo, C., Isetta, M., & Castagna, A. (2024). Did the first description of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica take place in Scotland or in Denmark?. Reumatismo, 76(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/reumatismo.2024.1673
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