PATTERN OF ADULT-ONSET OF POLMYOSITIS AND DERMATOMYOSITIS AND ASSOCIATION WITH MALIGNANCY

A retrospective study of 22 adult patients with dermatomyositis (DM) o r polymyositis (PM) was performed. Male to female ratio was 1:2.7. Mea n age of onset was 37.3 +/- (16.3) and symptoms were present for a mea n of 11.2 +/- 14.6 months before diagnosis. Primary polymyositis was d iagnosed in 11 (50%), primary dermatomyositis in three (13.6%). PM/DM was associated with connective tissue disease in three (13.6%) and mal ignancy in five patients (22.7%). Muscle disease followed the diagnosi s of malignancy by a mean of 12.2 months (one to 36 months). All were female. Diffuse erythema was observed in all three patients with DM an d malignancy. Arthritis was seen more frequently in our patients (55%) . Sixty-eight percent of patients showed substantial improvement of mu scle disease with steroids alone or in combination with other immunosu ppressive agents, 18% did not improve or their disease progressed in s pite of the treatment. Three patients died (14%), two from respiratory failure and one from underlying malignancy.