BACKGROUND Studies of twin pairs discordant for autoimmune conditions provide a unique opportunity to explore contributing factors triggered by complex gene-environment interactions. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, thirty-one monozygotic or dizygotic twin pairs discordant for myositis or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), along with matched healthy controls were evaluated for antibodi...

Ocular myositis represents a subgroup within the idiopathic orbital inflammatory syndrome, formerly termed orbital pseudotumor. Ocular myositis describes a rare inflammatory disorder of single or multiple extraocular eye muscles. Unilateral or sequential bilateral subacute painful diplopia is the leading symptom of eye muscle myositis. There are at least two major forms, a limited oligosymptoma...

Antisynthetase syndrome (ASS) is recognized as a subgroup of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). It is associated with autoantibodies directed against aminoacyl-transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) synthetase enzymes. We report the first case of anti-PL-7/anti-SSA 52kD ASS presenting as acute digital ischemia, an association not described previously. Occlusive vasculopathy is a rare but seri...

The present study aimed to examine if immunization with laminin causes myositis in rats and whether the pathologic findings mirror human polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Rats were immunized with an emulsion of laminin and complete Freund's adjuvant. As a result, muscle fiber necrosis with infiltrating macrophages was frequently observed and mononuclear cells were observed in the endomysium. Th...

The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are acquired muscle diseases characterized by muscle weakness and inflammation on muscle biopsy. Clinicoserologic classifications do not take muscle histology into account to distinguish the subsets of IIM. Our objective was to determine the pathologic features of each serologic subset of IIM and to correlate muscle biopsy results with the clinicoser...

We describe the occurrence of an inflammatory inclusion body myositis in siblings of a single generation in three separate families. The disease in this total of seven patients was characterized by selective and early involvement of forearm and finger flexors, confirmed by MRI, and weakness of the quadriceps, triceps and foot extensors. Muscle biopsies in at least two members from each family s...

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are autoimmune diseases characterized by symmetrical proximal muscle weakness. Our aim was to identify a correlation between VDR polymorphisms or haplotypes and myositis. We studied VDR-BsmI, VDR-ApaI, VDR-TaqI, and VDR-FokI polymorphisms and haplotypes in 89 Hungarian poly-/dermatomyositis patients (69 females) and 93 controls (52 females). We did not obtain ...

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are systemic, chronic autoimmune diseases characterized by symmetrical, proximal muscle weakness. Homogeneous groups present with similar symptoms. The response to therapy and prognosis could be facilitated by myositis-specific autoantibodies, and in this way, give rise to immunoserological classification. The myositis-specific autoantibodies are directed agai...