INFLAMMATORY MYOPATHIES AND SYSTEMIC DISORDERS - A REVIEW OF IMMUNOPATHOGENETIC MECHANISMS AND CLINICAL-FEATURES

The inflammatory myopathies are a heterogeneous group of muscle diseas es characterized by muscle degeneration mediated by inflammatory proce sses. They may be idiopathic, as in polymyositis, dermatomyositis and inclusion body myositis, or associated with systemic disorders such as malignancies, overlap syndromes, and retroviral infection. The pathog enesis of each disease is discussed together with more recent molecula r and cellular immunology findings. Salient diagnostic, clinical and p harmacological features are also reviewed.