Die Krankheitsmanifestationen der Polymyositis und Dermatomyositis beschränken sich unter Umständen nicht nur auf die Skelettmuskulatur: In vielen Fällen werden auch inneren Organe befallen. Ein Forscherteam aus Taiwan beleuchtete nun mithilfe einer retrospektiven Kohortenstudie, wie häufig Betroffenen ein stationär behandlungsbedürftiges Herzversagen erleiden.

Polymyositis and dermatomyositis are inflammatory myopathies that differ in their clinical features, histopathology, response to treatment, and prognosis. Although their clinical pictures differ, they both present with symmetrical, proximal muscle weakness. Treatment relies mainly upon empirical use of corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents. A deeper understanding of the molecular pathway...

Radioimmunoassay of serum myoglobin was performed in 85 patients with muscular symptoms. Elevated levels were found in 93% of patients with myogenic myopathy, in 54% with myasthenia gravis and in 50% with neurogenic myopathy. All 11 patients with polymyositis had elevated myoglobin concentrations. In six of seven patients with polymyositis, who were followed up with repeated determinations, a c...

Differentiated thyroid cancer is rarely associated with paraneoplastic events. Polymyositis, an autoimmune inflammatory myopathy, can be manifested as a paraneoplastic syndrome (PS). We report a case of a young woman who developed progressive proximal muscle weakness one and a half year after a total thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid cancer. Clinical features, laboratory results and muscle bi...

Introduction: Emergency laparoscopic surgery in a patient with polymyositis is a challenging situation for an anaesthesiologist owing to the multisystem manifestations of the disease. There are several reports in literature which have emphasized the use of regional anaesthesia in these patients to prevent delayed recovery from anaesthesia, aspiration, arrhythmias, and cardiac failure. Case Repo...

We report a 51-year-old woman with polymyositis accompanied by a high titer of antiacetylcholine receptor antibody. The patient presented with weakness of grip strength followed by rapidly progressive dyspnea, which required mechanical ventilation. She was treated with a glucocorticoid and came off the respirator one week later. Antiacetylcholine receptor antibody activity was elevated in the a...

A group of patients is described who presented with proximal muscle weakness and elevated muscle enzymes. They were initially believed to have polymyositis and one of them was even treated as such over a long period of time. The patients were subsequently found to have hypothyroidism and responded well to thyroid hormone replacement. Hypothyroidism should always be considered in the differentia...

A patient is described who had polymyositis with arthritis, keratodermia blenorrhagica, pulmonary fibrosis, and cardiac failure with a right bundle branch block. The cutaneous lesions on his palms and soles, considered to be specific for Reiter's syndrome, pointed to an overlapping of polymyositis with features of this syndrome. Findings typical of myositis were present. In addition a muscle bi...

Introduction Myocardial involvement in polymyositis has been increasingly recognized since it was first reported by Oppenheim (1899). Cardiac manifestations include congestive cardiac failure (Lynch, 1971; Bohan et al., 1977; Denbow et al., 1979), pericarditis (Lynch, 1971), atrioventricular and bundle branch block (Lynch, 1971, Schaumburg, Nielsen and Yurchak, 1971; Henderson et al., 1980) and...