Proper Name:
polymyositis
Common Name:
Polymyositis
(Polymyositis literally means "many muscle inflammation" in Latin.)
polymyositis
Common Name:
Polymyositis
(Polymyositis literally means "many muscle inflammation" in Latin.)
Age of Onset:
Polymyositis can occur at any stage of life, although it usually emerges in adulthood (ages twenty to sixty). It is relatively rare in teenages and children.
Duration:
It is a progressive degenerate disease. If polymyositis goes untreated, the patient's muscles will get weaker and weaker. However, it is curable, so it will stop if treated. Early diagnoses and treatment offer the highest probability of successful recovery.
Males/Females/Race:
This disease affects twice as many women as men, as do other muscular diseases such as fibromyalgia or dermatomyositis. It is also affects African Americans more than any other race, and Asian populations (particularly the Japanese) seem least affected by it.
Cause:
There is no established cause for polymyositis, but there are several factors that make one more likely to develop the disease. Firstly, some scientists have noticed that many people with polymyositis have different HLA (human leukocyte antigen) genes--polymyositis may be hereditary and related to autoimmune disorders. Secondly, exposure to certain viruses may trigger polymyositis. Some of these viruses are HIV, hepatits B, hepatitis C, and influenza. Thirdly, certain drugs may also trigger the disease. Many patients with polymyositis have been treated with D-penicillamine, hydralazine, phenytoin, or procainamide in the past.
Symptoms:
The first and most tell-tale symptom is weakness and fatigue of the muscles in the trunk--the pelvic girdle, the abdomen, and the shoulders. Patients lose strength in these muscles and have difficulty standing up after sitting down, climbing stairs, and lifting their heads above their shoulders. Others even have trouble swallowing or lifting their heads up from their pillows when they wake up. Patients' muscles are sore and tender to the touch; they may have trouble breathing. These symptoms can develop at different rates, but they usually become stronger within a period of weeks or months.
Polymyositis can occur at any stage of life, although it usually emerges in adulthood (ages twenty to sixty). It is relatively rare in teenages and children.
Duration:
It is a progressive degenerate disease. If polymyositis goes untreated, the patient's muscles will get weaker and weaker. However, it is curable, so it will stop if treated. Early diagnoses and treatment offer the highest probability of successful recovery.
Males/Females/Race:
This disease affects twice as many women as men, as do other muscular diseases such as fibromyalgia or dermatomyositis. It is also affects African Americans more than any other race, and Asian populations (particularly the Japanese) seem least affected by it.
Cause:
There is no established cause for polymyositis, but there are several factors that make one more likely to develop the disease. Firstly, some scientists have noticed that many people with polymyositis have different HLA (human leukocyte antigen) genes--polymyositis may be hereditary and related to autoimmune disorders. Secondly, exposure to certain viruses may trigger polymyositis. Some of these viruses are HIV, hepatits B, hepatitis C, and influenza. Thirdly, certain drugs may also trigger the disease. Many patients with polymyositis have been treated with D-penicillamine, hydralazine, phenytoin, or procainamide in the past.
Symptoms:
The first and most tell-tale symptom is weakness and fatigue of the muscles in the trunk--the pelvic girdle, the abdomen, and the shoulders. Patients lose strength in these muscles and have difficulty standing up after sitting down, climbing stairs, and lifting their heads above their shoulders. Others even have trouble swallowing or lifting their heads up from their pillows when they wake up. Patients' muscles are sore and tender to the touch; they may have trouble breathing. These symptoms can develop at different rates, but they usually become stronger within a period of weeks or months.
Some changes in the skin may occur, also. Sometimes patients may detect small calcifications under the skin. Their skin may redden (polymyositis and dermatomyositis are closely related inflammatory muscle diseases) and their hands may roughen and crack (shown in the picture).
Prognosis:
The prognosis for patients with polymyositis is favorable. The disease is curable or, if patients do not respond to treatment, at least suppressable with immune suppressors and other drugs (IVIg). Those patients that are cured can rebuild their muscles through physical therapy, although they may never return to their former strength. The efforts to reubild muscle eliminate muscle fatigue are most successful when the condition was caught early on and treated quickly. Life after polymyositis is relatively normal. However, the most common treatment option, corticosteriods, increases the risk for osteoporosis, an already common disease among older women, the prime target of polymyositis.
Treatment Options:
Themost common treatment for polymyositis is a high-dose of steriods, specifically corticosteriods. If this does not work, doctors use immune-suppressing drugs such as azathioprine and IVIg (intravenous immunoglobulins).
Link:
I received most of my information from http://www.answers.com/topic/polymyositis and the Wikipedia article on the subject, in addition to this more reputable source from the National Institutes of Health: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/polymyositis/polymyositis.htm.
Prognosis:
The prognosis for patients with polymyositis is favorable. The disease is curable or, if patients do not respond to treatment, at least suppressable with immune suppressors and other drugs (IVIg). Those patients that are cured can rebuild their muscles through physical therapy, although they may never return to their former strength. The efforts to reubild muscle eliminate muscle fatigue are most successful when the condition was caught early on and treated quickly. Life after polymyositis is relatively normal. However, the most common treatment option, corticosteriods, increases the risk for osteoporosis, an already common disease among older women, the prime target of polymyositis.
Treatment Options:
Themost common treatment for polymyositis is a high-dose of steriods, specifically corticosteriods. If this does not work, doctors use immune-suppressing drugs such as azathioprine and IVIg (intravenous immunoglobulins).
Link:
I received most of my information from http://www.answers.com/topic/polymyositis and the Wikipedia article on the subject, in addition to this more reputable source from the National Institutes of Health: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/polymyositis/polymyositis.htm.
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