Polymyositis News

Fatigue was reported by 98% of patients with autoimmune disorders polled, and fatigue that prevented completion of everyday tasks was reported by 68% of the patients, according to a press release from the American Autoimmune Disease Related Diseases Association.

The presence or degree of inflammatory infiltrates found in muscle biopsies of patients with dermatomyositis was not affected by previous use of corticosteroids, according to researchers at the University of São Paulo in São Paulo, Brazil.

Elevated serum progranulin levels in patients with dermatomyositis and interstitial lung disease were associated with disease activity and could be a biomarker for the disease, according to researchers in Japan.

The risk of mortality was higher in patients with rheumatic autoimmune diseases at 30 days and 12 months following myocardial infarction, and patients faced lower rates of revascularization, according to recently published research.

Patients with autoimmune diseases who developed Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia were more likely to have taken high doses of glucocorticoids, according to recently published research.

Patients with connective tissue diseases, particularly those who were older, smokers, male and received maximum dosage, treated with prednisolone or other corticosteroids were at higher risk for pulmonary infections, according to researchers from the PREVENT study group.

Systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases were shown to be more prevalent in areas polluted with fine particulate matter, according to results of a study conducted in two areas of Canada.

Slower gait speed, cadence and longer gait cycle time were seen in patients with sporadic inclusion body myositis, according to newly published data.

Age at the time of disease onset, gender and the initial dose of prednisolone were significantly associated with the severity of physical dysfunction in the treatment of polymyositis and dermatomyositis, according to research presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting.

The use of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography allowed researchers to successfully identify clinical signs of inflammation in patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis, according to recently published data.