Perimenopausal arthralgia in the shoulder.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Rheumatology
• Women's Health

Background:

• Shoulder arthralgia is a common complaint, particularly during the menopausal transition.
• Understanding the specific pathologies and their prevalence in perimenopausal women is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of various shoulder pathologies in perimenopausal women compared to premenopausal women.
• To evaluate the efficacy of oral prednisolone in treating shoulder synovitis in perimenopausal women.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study included 197 perimenopausal and 113 premenopausal women with shoulder arthralgia.
• Prevalence of synovitis, adhesive capsulitis, rotator cuff disorders, and arthritis were compared between groups.
• Participants with synovitis received 9-12 weeks of oral prednisolone treatment.

Main Results:

• Adhesive capsulitis was the most common diagnosis in both groups, with no significant difference in prevalence.
• Shoulder synovitis was significantly more prevalent in perimenopausal women (25.1%) than in premenopausal women (6.2%).
• 92.9% of participants with shoulder synovitis reported improvement after prednisolone treatment.

Conclusions:

• Menopause is associated with a higher prevalence of shoulder synovitis.
• Oral prednisolone is an effective treatment for shoulder synovitis in perimenopausal women.
• Clinicians should consider synovitis in the differential diagnosis of shoulder arthralgia in perimenopausal women.