Polymyalgia rheumatica and rheumatoid arthritis: a prodromal or overlap syndrome?

Seven patients seen over an eight-year period and drawn from a population of approximately one million are described, who presented with unequivocal polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and developed sero-positive, erosive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) within a year. Two of the patients were confirmed as having temporal arteritis (TA). The association of PMR and RA is discussed.