We report a 44 year old man who developed external ophthalmoplegia and predominantly respiratory, truncal and bulbar weakness with brisk reflexes, histological evidence of an inflammatory myopathy and a high titre of acetylcholine receptor antibodies, one month after starting hydroxyurea and allopurinol for chronic myeloid leukaemia. The temporal relationship suggests a possible association bet...

Introduction Biologic therapy is increasingly prescribed in rheumatologic disorders. Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), the most common inflammatory myopathy in children, can be challenging to manage in a subset of patients. There are multiple reports of cytokine involvement in JDM. There is a paucity of information regarding the use of biologics for JDM among pediatric rheumatology practitioners,...

Dermatomyositis is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy with involvement of muscle, skin and other organs. Valvular heart disease increases the risk of perioperative adverse cardiac events. Only a little information is available about the anaesthetic management of a patient with dermatomyositis and valvular heart disease. Here we considered combined spinal-epidural technique for total abdominal ...

The authors report the use mycophenolate mofetil (MM) in the treatment of neuromuscular diseases. Thirty-eight patients (32 with MG, three with inflammatory myopathy, and three with chronic acquired demyelinating neuropathy) were treated with MM for an average duration of 12 months. All patients tolerated MM without major side effects. Twenty-four patients improved either in their functional st...

Introduction. Whilst there are reports of viral myopathies affecting children and the immunocompromised, infective myositis is a relatively rare inflammatory myopathy in adults. The clinical spectrum can range from benign myalgias to more serious complications in certain risk groups. Case Presentation. We present two cases of myositis as a result of parvovirus B19 infection. Conclusion. Viral m...

Introduction Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM) is the most common idiopathic inflammatory myopathy in childhood, a systemic vasculopathy that affects usually skin, skeletal muscle, gastrointestinal tract and other organs. The diagnosis is made by criteria and the goals of treatment include control the underlying myositis and prevent disease and treatment complications. Stepwise aggressive treatmen...