Is Polymyositis - Atlas related????????????

Polymyositis is a rare inflammatory disease that leads to muscle weakness, swelling tenderness, and tissue damage. It is part of a larger group of diseases called myositis.

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Reference from A.D.A.M.

Back to TopCauses

Polymyositis affects the skeletal muscles. It is also known as idiopathic inflammatory myopathy. The exact cause is unknown, but it may be related to an autoimmune reaction or infection.
Polymyositis can affect people at any age. It most common in adults between ages 50 and 70, and in children ages 5 to 15. It affects women twice as often as men. It is more common in African Americans than Caucasians.

Back to TopSymptoms

Polymyositis is a systemic disease, which means it affects the whole body. Muscle weakness and tenderness can be signs of polymyositis. A rash is a sign of a similar condition, dermatomyositis.
Common symptoms include:

• Difficulty swallowing
• Muscle pain
• Muscle weakness in the proximal muscles (shoulders, hips, etc.) this can make it hard to raise the arms over the head, get up from a sitting position, or climb stairs
• Problems with the voice (caused by weak throat muscles)
• Shortness of breath

You may also have:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Joint pain
• Loss of appetite
• Morning stiffness
• Weight loss

Back to TopExams and Tests

Tests may include:

• Autoimmune antibodies and inflammation tests
• CPK
• Electromyography
• MRI of affected muscles
• Muscle biopsy
• Myoglobin in the urine
• Serum aldolase

People with this condition also must be watched carefully for signs of cancer.

Back to TopTreatment

The main treatment is with corticosteroid medicines. The dose of medicine is slowly tapered off as muscle strength improves. This takes about 4-6 weeks. You will stay on a low dose of a corticosteroid medicine after that. Medicines to suppress the immune system, such as methotrexate and azathioprine, may be used for people who do not respond to corticosteroids.
Intravenous gamma globulin has been tried, with mixed results. Biologic drugs also may play in part in treating this condition but it is too soon to know.
If the condition is associated with a tumor, it may improve if the tumor is removed.

Back to TopOutlook (Prognosis)

Response to treatment varies based on the complications. The 5-year mortality rate can be as high as 1 in 5 patients.
Many people, especially children, a period when no symptoms are present and recover. For most other people, immunosuppressant drugs can control the disease.
In adults, death may result from:

• Malnutrition
• Pneumonia
• Respiratory failure
• Severe, long-term muscle weakness

The major causes of death are cancer and lung disease.

Back to TopPossible Complications

• Calcium deposits in the affected muscles, especially in children with the disease
• Cancer
• Heart disease, lung disease, or abdominal complications