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Biologicals: A Perspective for the Treatment of PMR/GCA

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Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis

Abstract

Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis are diseases with an exceptionally favorable response to glucocorticoid (GCs) treatment. It is well known and a consensus that corticosteroid therapy usually leads to a rapid and dramatic improvement of patients’ complaints and returns them to previous functional status [1, 2]. Almost immediate pain relief after initiation of corticosteroids can be regarded as an additional diagnostic feature for PMR [3]. If no significant pain reduction can be achieved by an adequate steroid dose, the diagnosis must be seriously, and maybe repetitively, reconsidered.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 2nd Department of Medicine, Center for Rheumatology, Lower Austria, Austria

    Burkhard F. Leeb MD, PhD

  2. Karl Landsteiner Institute for Clinical Rheumatology, State Hospital Stockerau, Stockerau, Austria

    Burkhard F. Leeb MD, PhD

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  1. Burkhard F. Leeb MD, PhD
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Correspondence to Burkhard F. Leeb MD, PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rheumatology, National Institute of Rheumatic Diseases, Piešťany, Slovakia

    Jozef RovenskĂ˝

  2. 2nd Department of Medicine, State Hospital of Stockerau, Stockerau, Austria

    Burkhard Leeb

  3. 2nd Internal Clinic Medical Faculty, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Viera Štvrtinová

  4. Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Richard Imrich

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Leeb, B.F. (2017). Biologicals: A Perspective for the Treatment of PMR/GCA. In: Rovenský, J., Leeb, B., Štvrtinová, V., Imrich, R. (eds) Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52222-7_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52222-7_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-52221-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-52222-7

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