What symptom is dermatomyositis?

summary

Dermatomyositis is a kind of non suppurative inflammatory disease mainly involving striated muscle and lymphocyte infiltration, with or without a variety of skin lesions. Clinically, it is characterized by symmetrical weakness of limb girdle muscle, neck muscle and pharyngeal muscle, often involving multiple organs, and may also be accompanied by tumor and other connective tissue diseases. What symptom is dermatomyositis? Let's talk about it

What symptom is dermatomyositis?

Usually, the disease is insidious and progresses slowly in weeks, months and years. A small number of patients with acute onset, within a few days of severe muscle weakness, or rhabdomyolysis, myoglobinuria and renal failure. Patients may have morning stiffness, fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, fever (moderate to low degree fever, even high fever), joint pain, and a few patients have Raynaud's phenomenon.

Muscle involvement in this disease is usually bilateral symmetry. Scapular zone and pelvic zone muscle involvement are the most common, followed by neck muscle and throat muscle. Respiratory muscle involvement is rare, orbicularis oculi muscle and facial muscle involvement are rare. About half of the patients had myalgia and / or tenderness. About half of the patients suffered from cervical muscle involvement, especially the cervical flexor muscle. It was difficult to raise the head when lying on the back, and it was unable to raise the head when sitting; Pharyngeal or upper esophageal rhabdomus involvement may lead to dysphagia, hoarseness and dysphonia. When ingesting liquid food, it may flow out through the nostril and cause cough.

Gastrointestinal smooth muscle involvement is rare. Weakness of lower esophageal sphincter can lead to gastric acid reflux and esophagitis. Chronic cases can cause esophageal stenosis. When the shoulder girdle is involved, it may be difficult to lift the arm, unable to comb and dress; Respiratory myasthenia can cause chest tightness, dyspnea, severe need ventilator assisted breathing; When the patient has pelvic band muscle weakness, it can be manifested as difficulty in going up and down the steps, difficulty in standing or standing up from the seat after squatting down, and difficulty in walking.

matters needing attention

Clinical experience has proved that glucocorticoid is effective in the treatment of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy, so it is regarded as the first choice for the treatment of polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Light can be taken orally in the morning, the best three times for heavy, once the disease is under control, and then changed to an oral. Generally, the course of treatment should not be less than 2 years, and the drug can be stopped at last. If there is no recurrence in 3 years, it is unlikely to recur later. If there is no recurrence in 5 years, it is basically cured.