Clinical Characteristics and Course of Patients with Juvenile Dermatomyositis – Case Series

Abstract

Background: Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is one of the commonest forms of inflammatory myositis in childhood. Objective: The objective study was to study the clinical characteristics and course of JDM patients. Material and Methods: Retrospective analysis of the charts of 25 JDM patients admitted to two hospitals in Bangalore from March 2011 to July 2017. Results: The mean age at onset of disease was 7.74 ± 3.74 years. The male to female ratio was 1.5:1. All patients had skin rashes typical of JDM and 24/25 had demonstrable muscle weakness. Six patients were either lost to follow-up or died. Of the remaining 19 patients, 11 (57.9%) had a monocyclic course, 5 (26.3%) patients had a chronic continuous course, and 3 (15.8%) patients had a polycyclic course. Conclusions: JDM though rare should always be considered in the differential diagnosis in any child with skin rash and muscle pains and weakness. When diagnosed early and treated appropriately, sustained remission without medications is possible in a good proportion of patients.