All about polymyositis  causes of polymyositis symptoms of polymyositis diagnosis of polymyositis treatment for polymyositis |
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What's the treatment for polymyositis?
Polymyositis disease is treated with corticosteroid medications. Prednisone therapy usually leads to improvement within two or three months, at which point the dose can be tapered to a lower level to avoid the significant side effects associated with high doses of prednisone. Unresponsive patients are often given a replacement or supplementary immunosuppressant, such as azathioprine, cyclosporine, or methotrexate. Intravenous immunoglobulin treatments may help some people who are unresponsive to other immunosuppressants. When an improvement in muscle strength is achieved, usually in 4 to 6 weeks, the medication is slowly tapered off. Maintenance therapy with prednisone may be continued indefinitely. In people who fail to respond to corticosteroids, medications to suppress the immune system may be used. |
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More information on polymyositis
What is polymyositis? - Polymyositis is a systemic connective tissue disorder characterized by inflammatory and degenerative changes in the muscles.
What causes polymyositis? - The cause of polymyositis is unknown. An autoimmune reaction or a viral infection of the skeletal muscle may cause polymyositis.
What're symptoms of polymyositis? - Symptoms of polymyositis are symmetrical muscle weakness, difficulty in swallowing, fever, fatigue, and weight loss.
How is polymyositis diagnosed? - The first step in the diagnosis of polymyositis is obtaining a history and physical examination compatible with the picture usually seen in this entity.
What's the treatment for polymyositis? - Polymyositis disease is treated with corticosteroid medications. Prednisone therapy usually leads to improvement within two or three months. |
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