Diagnosis
Diagnosis is fourfold: History and physical examination, elevation of creatine kinase, electromyograph (EMG) alteration, and a positive muscle biopsy.The hallmark clinical feature of polymyositis is proximal muscle weakness, with less important findings being muscle pain and dysphagia. Cardiac and pulmonary findings will be present in approximately 25% of cases of patients with polymyositis.Sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) is often misdiagnosed as polymyositis or dermatomyositis but it can be differentiated as myositis that does not respond to treatment is likely IBM. sIBM comes on over months to years; polymyositis comes on over weeks to months. Polymyositis tends to respond well to treatment, at least initially; IBM does not. Treatment
The first line treatment for polymyositis is corticosteroids. Specialized exercise therapy may supplement treatment to enhance quality of life. Epidemiology
Polymyositis strikes females with greater frequency than males. Polymyositis as a distinct diagnosis
The discovery of several myositis-specific autoantibodies during the past decades has enabled the description of other discrete subsets of diagnosis, specifically the discovery of Antisynthetase syndrome in reducing the number of diagnoses of polymyositis. Society and culture
Notable cases
Dan Christensen, painter of abstract art. Died due to heart failure caused by polymyositis. Robert Erickson, American composer and teacher who was a leading modernist exponent of "12-tone" composition. Died from the effects of polymyositis. David Lean, film director. Eric Samuelsen, playwright. Victor Manuel Resendiz Ruiz, wrestler. Cardinal John Wright

See also
Limb girdle syndrome

References


== External links ==
See also
Absolute neutrophil count

References


== External links ==