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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffAlthough the exact causes of polymyalgia rheumatica are unknown, certain factors may increase your risk of developing the disease, including:
- Age. Polymyalgia rheumatica affects older adults almost exclusively — the average age at onset of the disease is 70.
- Sex. Women are twice as likely to develop the condition as men are.
- Race. Although polymyalgia rheumatica can affect people of any race, the vast majority are white. People of Northern European and Scandinavian origin are particularly at risk.
- Giant cell arteritis. Also at risk are people with giant cell arteritis, a condition that causes arteries in your temples or sometimes other parts of your body to become swollen and inflamed. As many as half the people with giant cell arteritis also have polymyalgia rheumatica.
