A 24-year-old man with symptoms and signs of polymyalgia rheumatica.

Most physicians regard polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) as a disease that affects only the elderly. This case report of a 24-year-old man with proximal limb girdle muscle pain, stiffness, tenderness, weakness, and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, who had a dramatic response to steroids, supports the premise that PMR may affect a wider range of our population. Increased physician awareness that this illness does occur in patients younger than 50 may prevent delays in diagnosis, and decrease the needless suffering and incapacitation of younger patients with this disorder.