Epidemiology

The incidence of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) increases with age, typically occurring in those older than 50 years and rarely in younger individuals. In a population-based study conducted in Minnesota between 2000 and 2014, the age- and sex-adjusted annual incidence of PMR was 63.9/100,000 population aged ≥50 years.[2] The mean age at diagnosis was 74 years, and 64% of patients were women.[2]

Incidence appears highest in those of northern European descent.[3] PMR occurs in nonwhite populations, but the epidemiology has not been well studied in these populations. The incidence of PMR appears to be increasing both in the US and in Europe. A geographical gradient has been observed in Europe, decreasing from north to south: the highest incidence rates have been reported in Norway and the lowest rates in Italy, Spain, and Israel.[4][5]​ Cyclic fluctuations in the incidence of PMR have been observed, and there does not appear to be an increase in mortality associated with PMR.[2][6]​​[7]

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