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| Dermatomyositis and Polymyositis |
| This page was written by Shelley Ensz, and has not yet been medically edited. See Disclaimer. |
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| What are Myopathies? |
| Myopathies. Myopathy is the medical term for muscle disease. There are many causes of muscle disease, such as infection, muscle injury due to medications, inherited diseases affecting muscle function, disorders of electrolyte levels, and thyroid disease. Some of these disorders, such as polymyositis, dermatomyositis and inclusion body myositis, develop when the immune system attacks muscles. This inflammation damages muscle tissue and makes them weak. American College of Rheumatology. |
| Concomitant diseases in a cohort of patients with idiopathic myositis (IIM) during long-term follow-up. There is significant steroid-related morbidity in adult IIM patients under long-term follow-up. The prevalence of another concomitant auto-immune disease unlike patients with lupus or Sjogren's syndrome is low. (SpringerLink) K.P. Ng. Clinical Rheumatology. April 23 2009. |
| Pregnancy Outcome In Egyptian Scleroderma Patients. The subclinical vasculopathy occurring during and even before disease onset can explain the higher proportion of abortions, premature children and delay in conception of the SSc patients. There is an association between myositis and reduced abortion which needs further investigation including the effect of the drugs used should be considered. H.E. El-Sherif. FRI0267. EULAR 2008. (Also see; Pregnancy and Scleroderma) |
| What is Dermatomyositis? |
| Dermatomyositis. "Dermatomyositis is an acute inflammatory condition of skin and muscle." Dr. Thomas Lehman. |
| What is Dermatomyositis? National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. |
| Sun Exposure May Trigger Certain Autoimmune Diseases in Women. This study found that women who lived in areas with higher levels of UV exposure when they developed an autoimmune muscle disease called myositis were more likely to develop the form known as dermatomyositis, which weakens the muscles and causes distinctive rashes, instead of the form called polymyositis that does not have a rash. NIH News. 07/30/09. |
| Dermatomyositis signature pattern in the blood is found. The researchers said the finding might lead to an alternative diagnostic tool, rather than a more invasive muscle biopsy now needed to identify the condition in which the immune system overreacts in some way to attack some part of the body. Earthtimes.org 04/03/07. |
| What is Polymyositis? |
| What is Polymyositis? It is a muscle disease featuring inflammation of the muscle fibers, typically those closest to the trunk or torso. This results in weakness that can be severe. MedicineNet.com. |
| Distribution and severity of weakness among patients with polymyositis (PM), dermatomyositis (DM) and juvenile dermatomyositis. Our findings suggest a greater severity of proximal weakness in PM in comparison with DM. M.O. Harris-Love. Rheumatology Advance Access. Dec 11 2008. |
| C1D is a major autoantibody target in patients with the polymyositis-scleroderma overlap syndrome. Our results demonstrate that the recently identified exosome-associated protein C1D is a major autoantigen in patients with the PM-scleroderma overlap syndrome and suggest that the use of recombinant C1D as an autoantibody target may aid in diagnosis of the PM-scleroderma overlap syndrome. Arthritis and Rheumatism. Volume 56, Issue 7, Pages 2449 - 2454. (Also see: Antibodies and Overlap Syndrome) |
| Symptoms of Dermatomyositis and Polymyositis |
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| Diagnosis of Dermatomyositis and Polymyositis |
| Imaging tools for the clinical assessment of idiopathic inflammatory myositis. In suspected myositis, muscle imaging should be strongly considered prior to obtaining a muscle biopsy. Future research should prospectively study the use of muscle imaging in the evaluation of treatment response and muscle function. (PubMed) Walker UA. Curr Opin Rheumatol. November 2008. |
| Inflammatory myopathies in childhood: correlation between nailfold capillaroscopy findings and clinical and laboratory data. A relationship has been observed in adults between improved capillaroscopic findings and reduced disease activity. PubMed. J. Pediatr (Rio J). 2006 January/February;82(1):40-45. (Also see: Juvenile Scleroderma, and Raynaud's Diagnosis) |
| The handheld dermatoscope as a nail-fold capillaroscopic instrument. The unmodified hand-held dermatoscope may be used as a capillaroscopic instrument to detect a scleroderma-dermatomyositis pattern and to help the dermatologist in the clinical diagnosis of connective tissue disorders. PubMed. Arch Dermatol. 2003 Aug;139(8):1027-30.(Also see: Types of Scleroderma) |
| Scleroderma and Dermatomyositis, Polymyositis |
| Myopathy Independently Predicts Mortality in Scleroderma Patients. Myopathy in scleroderma is significantly associated with diffuse skin subtype and lung disease and independently predicts mortality. Early recognition of muscle disease may identify scleroderma patients at high risk for poor outcomes and provide an opportunity for therapeutic intervention. Valiyil, Ritu, Hummers, Laura K., Wigley, Fredrick M.; Arthritis Rheum 2009;60 Suppl 10 :1737. (Also see: Prognosis and Mortality) |
| Rare autoimmune rheumatic illnesses during pregnancy: systemic sclerosis, polymyositis/dermatomyositis and vasculitis. Autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD) affect young females durrng childbearing age. Over the last decades, improvements in survival as well as quality of life in patients affected with ARD have led to an increased number of pregnancies observed during the course of such diseases. PubMed. Z Rheumatol. 2006 May 3. (Also see: Pregnancy and Scleroderma and Vasculitis) |
| Treatments for Dermatomyositis and Polymyositis |
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| Research about Dermatomyositis and Polymyositis |
| Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) related polymyositis. Chronic GVHD sometimes mimics autoimmune diseases. We report the case of a 39-year-old patient who presented atypical polymyositis without elevated creatinine phosphokinase, related to a chronic GVHD following interruption of immunosuppressive treatment. (SpringerLink) H. Maillard – Lefebvre. January 13 2010. (Also see: GVHD). |
| Dermatomyositis and HIV infection: case report and review of the literature. Given the broad effects of this virus on both the humoral and cell-mediated arms of the immune system, illnesses such as polymyositis and Reiter's syndrome appear to be more prevalent in HIV-infected individuals and occur in the absence of well-described predispositions. (PubMed) MB Carroll. Rheumatol Int. October 24 2009. |
| Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is highly expressed in muscle tissue of patients with polymyositis and patients with dermatomyositis. Our observations support a role of VEGF in the early phases of polymyositis and dermatomyositis. (WileyInterscience) C. Grundtman. Arthritis & Rheumatism. September 29, 2008. |
| Polymyositis: Can a gluten-free diet reduce symptoms? If you have polymyositis — a rare connective tissue disease — you may be at increased risk of celiac disease. In such cases, a gluten-free diet can improve signs and symptoms of celiac disease. But there's no evidence that a gluten-free diet can improve signs and symptoms of polymyositis. Mayo Clinic. (Also see: Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity) |
| Spontaneous recovery of dermatomyositis and unspecified myositis in three adult patients. Spontaneous long lasting remission can occur in a small proportion of patients with subacute onset idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. In some patients, immunosuppressive treatment with the risk of serious side effects can perhaps be omitted. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2008. |
