Posted on June 23, 2008 in Latest News
Polymyositis is a disease of musclecharacterized by inflammation of the muscle fibers. Polymyositis actually means ‘many muscle inflammation’. The onset of the condition is when white blood cells, the immune cells of inflammation, spontaneously invade muscles. The muscles affected are typically those closest to the trunk or torso. This results in weakness that can be severe.
Causes
The cause is unknown, but believed to be associated with autoimmune factors, genetics, and perhaps viruses. In less common cases, the cause is observed to be infections related to the pathogens that cause Lyme disease, toxoplasmosis, and others.
Researchers from Sweden at the national meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in 2007 reported their findings that T-cells of the immune system in some polymyositis or dermatomyositis patients reacted against cytomegalovirus (CMV) and that detectable antibodies against CMV were present. Their conclusion was that there may be subsets of patients who develop their disease, in part, because of infection with this particular virus.
Symptoms
Polymyositis is a chronic illness with periods of increased symptoms, called flares or relapses, and minimal or no symptoms, known as remissions. Patients experience muscle weakness that presents itself in a symmetric fashion and affects the larger muscles in the arms and legs. Activities such as going up stairs, getting into and out of a car, out of bed, getting up from a chair, brushing hair or getting off the toilet may be difficult. Neck weakness is characterized with the patient being unable to get his head off a pillow. Involvement of the throat muscles may cause difficulty with swallowing, regurgitation or aspiration of food/drink, or a nasal sounding voice.
Treatment
Corticosteroids are often used as a first line therapy to treat polymyositis because they decrease the muscle inflammation. These can be effective in a matter of weeks. If corticosteroids are ineffective, other immunosuppressive medications may be given such as azathioprine, mycophenylate mofetil, cyclosporine, or methotrexate. Intravenous immunoglobulin has also been shown to be effective in very refractory cases.
» Filed Under Latest News
Comments
Leave a Reply
July 7th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
thank you very much