Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory disease characterized by subacute onset pain and stiffness in the shoulders and hips. Oral glucocorticoids represent the mainstay of treatment and while cessation of therapy is the ultimate goal, up to 50% of patients with PMR continue to require prednisolone 2–3 years after diagnosis.

In 2016, the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) endorsed a core domain set for PMR. The inner core of the “onion,” signifying items to be measured in all PMR clinical trials, consisted of 4 domains: pain, stiffness, physical function, and systemic inflammation.