Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism
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Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Feb 2003
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis function in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis.
Giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) are 2 closely related syndromes affecting elderly people. One of the most striking features of these conditions is the development of the disease in an almost exclusive manner in people older than 50 years. Despite this close association with age, the pathogenic mechanisms that could explain this age-related predisposition are unknown. Aging is accompanied by a number of quantitative and qualitative changes in the endocrine system that may predispose to several pathologic conditions that occur in the elderly. ⋯ The authors' findings are probably more compatible with the hypothesis that the abnormalities found in the patient group are the consequences of chronic illness rather than a crucial factor contributing to the pathogenesis of the disease.