[Polymyalgia rheumatica: a systemic vasculitis. Review of the literature and presentation of 2 clinical cases].

A brief historical account of the nosological and pathogenetic classification of rheumatic polymyalgia (RPM) is followed by an indication of the importance of vasculitis during its course. Elective involvement of the temporal artery is not always observed, though there may also, or exclusively, be involvement of other arterial districts, such as those of the subaxillary and subclavicular, that of the thoracic and abdominal aorta, and of the large branches of the lower limbs. Two clinical cases are presented in support of these assertions. It is also shown that arteritis may appear several months after the onset of RPM, and that its progress may be quite separate from that of the latter. Doppler examination is now of assistance in the diagnosis of these forms, since it permits exploration of the various districts and the detection of subclinical lesions. It is also useful in the monitoring of arteritis and its response to treatment.