Causes
The symptoms of myositis usually develop gradually and may include:
- Difficulty in getting up from a chair
- Trouble in climbing stairs or lifting arms
- Tired feeling after standing and walking
- Difficulty swallowing or breathing
- Muscle pain and soreness that seems to linger for a few weeks
- Elevations in muscle enzymes
- Fatigue (exhaustion)
- Frequent falls
- A general feeling of being unwell
- Weight loss
Symptoms
The symptoms of myositis vary between different people. They can include: weak and tired muscles that can make everyday tasks such as climbing stairs, brushing hair, and getting in and out of cars difficult; pain in muscles; muscles feeling tender to touch; muscles can sometimes swell; generally feeling unwell; weight loss; night sweats.
Prevention
Myositis related to a drug is treated by stopping the medication. In cases of myositis caused by statin drugs, muscle inflammation usually subsides within a few weeks after stopping the medicine ...
Complications
What are the different types of myositis?
- Sporadic Inclusion Body Myositis. The most common form of myositis, sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM), is typically found in people over 50.
- Dermatomyositis. Dermatomyositis (DM) affects people of all ages and sexes, but is more common among women.
- Polymyositis.
- Necrotizing Myopathy.
- Juvenile Myositis.
What are the symptoms of myositis caused by a virus?
What does myositis pain feel like?
How is myositis caused by drugs treated?
What is the most common form of myositis?
How do steroids help with myositis?
The medicines used to treat myositis most often work by blocking the white blood cells of the immune system in some way, since these are causing the underlying damage to muscle tissue. Steroids, like prednisone, are the most common treatment. They work very quickly and can be very effective, but have a number of side effects that accumulate the longer patients are on treatment, especially with high doses. Since myositis treatment is mostly long-term, there is a need to additional medications for “steroid sparing,” to allow for less use of steroids, or to use in place of steroids.
How do you know if you have myositis?
The most common symptom of myositis is muscle weakness. The weakness often develops slowly, and can be subtle at first. The symptoms of weakness depend on the group of muscles affected – most often, myositis affects the muscles closest to the trunk, at the shoulders and hips. The weakness in myositis is generally not associated with pain, but some muscle pain can be seen in about a third of patients. It can be hard to distinguish fatigue from weakness, and the two often go together.
What is a muscle biopsy?
A muscle biopsy can show cellular and molecular evidence of muscle damage by the immune system, or rule out other causes of muscle injury, and is an important part of confirming the diagnosis of myositis. In patients with dermatomyositis, a skin biopsy can help as well, for similar reasons.
What is the cause of myositis?
Causes of myositis. The white blood cells of the immune system generally protect us from things in the environment, like bacteria and viruses. In myositis, the immune system mistakenly injures muscle tissue, causing muscle weakness and other related conditions. It is not clear why these conditions develop, or what sets it off for most people, ...
What is the term for a group of rare diseases marked primarily by muscle inflammation and weakness?
Patient Articles, Inflammatory Disorders, Muscle Disorders, Myositis, The inflammatory muscle disorders are a group of rare diseases marked primarily by muscle inflammation and weakness. In general, muscle inflammation is referred to as “myositis, ” regardless of the cause – however, myositis is frequently used as shorthand to refer ...
What are nonspecific indicators of inflammation?
There are nonspecific indicators for inflammation, called the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP). These studies are often elevated in myositis patients, but a significant number of patients never have any elevation in these markers, despite having active disease.
What is an EMG/NCS?
The EMG/NCS are specialized tests done by neurologists, examining the function of nerves, muscles, and the ability of nerves to communicate with muscles using small electrical signals. There is a pattern of changes that develop when patients have myositis, so seeing this pattern can help confirm the diagnosis in a patient who has weakness.
What is toxic myositis?
Toxic myositis. Toxic myositis is thought to be caused by some prescribed medications and illicit drugs. Cholesterol-lowering medications such as statins may be among the most common drugs to cause this condition. Although this is extremely rare, other medications and substances that may cause myositis include:
What is the name of the disease that begins with muscle weakness in the muscles closest to the trunk of the body?
Polymyositis. Polymyositis ( PM) begins with muscle weakness in the muscles closest to the trunk of the body and then expands from there. Each case of PM is unique, and people with PM are often found to have additional autoimmune diseases. Symptoms of PM include: muscle weakness. muscle pain.
What is the purple red rash on the back of the eye?
Dermatomyositis (DM) is the easiest form of myositis to diagnose due to the purple-red rashes in the shape of the heliotrope flower. The rash develops on the eyelids, face, chest, neck, and back. It also develops over joints such as knuckles, elbows, knees and toes. Muscle weakness normally follows.
What is inclusion body myositis?
Inclusion-body myositis. Inclusion-body myositis (IBM) is the only myositis which occurs more commonly in men than in women. Most people who develop this condition are over the age of 50. IBM begins with muscle weakness in the wrists and fingers and also in the thigh muscles. The muscle weakness is more prominent in smaller muscles ...
What is myositis skin rash?
What is myositis? Myositis is a general description for chronic, progressive inflammation of the muscles. Some types of myositis are associated with skin rashes. This rare disease can be difficult to diagnose, and the cause is sometimes unknown. Symptoms can appear rapidly or gradually over time.
How many children have juvenile myositis?
Juvenile myositis. Juvenile myositis (JM) occurs in children under 18. It affects 3,000 to 5,000 American children. Girls are twice as likely to develop JM than boys. Similar to the other forms of myositis, JM is characterized by muscle weakness and skin rashes. Symptoms of JM include:
How to treat muscle atrophy?
Work with your doctor until the best course of action is achieved. Physical therapy, exercise, stretching, and yoga can help keep muscles strong and flexible and prevent muscle atrophy.
How will myositis affect me?
In most cases the pain and feelings of being unwell are eased with drugs. Even in severe cases most people with myositis eventually respond to treatment.
What is the name of a group of rare conditions that can cause muscles to become weak, tired and painful?
Myositis is the name for a group of rare conditions that can cause muscles to become weak, tired and painful.
What is the condition that makes it difficult to swallow?
Inclusion body myositis (IBM) Inclusion body myositis (IBM) causes weakness in muscles, usually near the ends of the arms or around the tops of the legs. This can make it difficult to grip objects, or can cause the knee to give way and lead to falls. This condition can also make swallowing difficult.
How do you know if you have myositis?
They can include: weak and tired muscles that can make everyday tasks such as climbing stairs, brushing hair, and getting in and out of cars difficult. pain in muscles. muscles feeling tender to touch.
What drugs can help with myositis?
These include methotrexate, azathioprine, ciclosporin, tacrolimus and mycophenolate.
What is the first treatment for myositis?
The first choice of treatment of myositis is steroids, which are usually given in high doses to begin with.
How long does it take to recover from myositis?
However, some people with severe symptoms may never fully recover. Even for people who do make a good recovery it can take several months to see improvement, as treatments take time to help your body repair muscles. Because of this you may experience a lot of tiredness.
What is the term for a muscle injury that occurs after exercise?
Myositis symptoms after exercise or injury nearly always resolve completely with rest and recovery. Rhabdomyolysis . Rhabdomyolysis occurs when muscles break down quickly.
Why does myositis hurt after exercise?
Sometimes it is caused by an interaction between two different medications. Severe myositis caused by medications is rare. Injury. Vigorous exercise can lead to muscle pain, swelling, and weakness for hours or days after a workout. Inflammation contributes to these symptoms, technically making this a form of myositis.
What causes myositis in the body?
Causes of Myositis. Myositis is caused by any condition that leads to inflammation in the muscles. Myositis causes can be divided into several categories: Inflammatory conditions. Conditions causing inflammation throughout the body may affect the muscles, causing myositis.
What causes muscle damage?
Drugs. Many different medications and drugs can cause temporary muscle damage. Because inflammation in the muscles is often not identified, the muscle problem may be called myopathy rather than myositis. Drugs causing myositis or myopathy include:
How long does it take for myositis to subside after stopping statins?
Myositis related to a drug is treated by stopping the medication. In cases of myositis caused by statin drugs, muscle inflammation usually subsides within a few weeks after stopping the medicine.
What is the diagnosis of myositis?
Diagnosis of Myositis. Treatment of Myositis. Myositis refers to any condition causing inflammation in muscles. Weakness, swelling, and pain are the most common myositis symptoms. Myositis causes include infection, injury, autoimmune conditions, and drug side effects. Treatment of myositis varies according to the cause.
How long does it take for myositis to go away?
But the symptoms of viral infection may go away days or weeks before myositis symptoms begin.
What is Myositis?
Myositis is the medical term for muscle inflammation. In myositis, inflammation damages the fibers of a muscle. This causes muscles to be weak by interfering with the ability of the muscles to contract. Although myositis can cause muscle aches and muscle tenderness, weakness is usually the dominant symptom.
How long does it take for polymyositis to improve?
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. Polymyositis and dermatomyositis are usually chronic (long-lasting) but typically improve after one to two months of treatment. Inclusion body myositis is also chronic. Since there is no reliably effective treatment for inclusion body myositis, symptoms usually worsen gradually over a period of years. If cancer is associated with the myositis, improvement may occur if the cancer is treated effectively.
What is the cause of muscle inflammation?
In this rare group of muscle diseases, the cause of the muscle inflammation is unknown (idiopathic). There are three major types: dermatomyositis, polymyositis and inclusion body myositis. In the United States, idiopathic inflammatory myopathies affect about 1 out of every 100,000 people.
How do you know if you have myositis?
Symptoms. Symptoms of myositis can include muscle weakness, muscle pain and muscle tenderness. Other symptoms vary, depending on the specific cause of myositis: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. These conditions typically cause painless muscle weakness that develops slowly over weeks, months or years.
How long does it take for myositis to go away?
In some cases, myositis is a short-term problem that goes away after a few days or weeks. In other cases, it is part of a chronic (long-term) condition.
What is benign acute myositis?
Benign acute myositis usually occurs in children who are recovering from the flu or some other respiratory infection caused by a virus. Doctors are not sure whether the child's muscle symptoms are caused by the virus itself or by the body's immune reaction to the virus. Myositis ossificans.
What is the infection that causes pus to form inside the muscle?
People can develop this infection by eating meat that has not been cooked enough. One type of infectious myositis is called pyomyositis, a bacterial infection that causes one or more pockets of pus (abscesses) inside a muscle. It usually is caused by Staphylococcus ("staph") bacteria.
How is myositis diagnosed?
The blood test will check for the presence of certain muscle enzymes (CK, aldolase, LDH) which are specific to the muscle, but also certain antibodies which are now increasingly associated with certain forms of myositis and are highly considered in the diagnosis. Diagnostic tests may also include muscle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electromyogram and nerve conduction velocity studies, which gauge how quickly impulses travel through a neural pathway. Finally, muscle and skin biopsies are considered the most definitive test for diagnosis. Both show abnormalities linked to myositis.
How is myositis treated?
Since there’s no known cure and no FDA-approved therapies, myositis is managed with off-label medications that have been successful in causing remission or controlling symptoms by tackling the inflammation. They include corticosteroids such as prednisone, immunosuppressants (medicines that tamp down activity in the immune system) and immunoglobulin (human plasma derivative that contains antibodies).
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms vary for each patient and are highly dependent on what other health challenges a patient may have. The most common are:
Why is myositis painful?
Myositis is an autoimmune disease involving chronic inflammation that leads to the weakening of muscles over time, particularly those in the neck, shoulders, hips and back. It may be painful, too. The muscle inflammation is from the immune system losing tolerance of the muscle. The immune system starts not recognizing the muscle as its own, ...
What is the blood test for myositis?
The blood test will check for the presence of certain muscle enzymes (CK, aldolase, LDH) which are specific to the muscle, but also certain antibodies which are now increasingly associated with certain forms of myositis and are highly considered in the diagnosis.
How many different forms of myositis are there?
There are five different forms of it, each with their own symptoms and natural history, which include: Inclusion body myositis. Dermatomyositis. Polymyositis (including anti-synthetase antibody syndrome and myositis associated with other connective tissue disorders) Necrotizing myopathy. Juvenile Myositis.
What is a summit for myositis?
The summit is also a way to introduce the community to the newly formed Myositis Program , which creates a multidisciplinary team of rheumatologists, neurologists, pulmonologists, pathologists, radiologists, nurses, physical therapists, registered dieticians and social workers who collaborate to provide patients with the most comprehensive care available.
Classification
Pathophysiology
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Uses
- The inflammatory muscle disorders are a group of rare diseases marked primarily by muscle inflammation and weakness. In general, muscle inflammation is referred to as myositis, regardless of the cause however, myositis is frequently used as shorthand to refer to common causes of inflammatory muscle disorders or idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (...
Treatment
- The white blood cells of the immune system generally protect us from things in the environment, like bacteria and viruses. In myositis, the immune system mistakenly injures muscle tissue, causing muscle weakness and other related conditions.
Diet
- The most common symptom of myositis is muscle weakness. The weakness often develops slowly, and can be subtle at first. The symptoms of weakness depend on the group of muscles affected most often, myositis affects the muscles closest to the trunk, at the shoulders and hips. The weakness in myositis is generally not associated with pain, but some muscle pain can be se…
Prognosis
- There are a number of tests that can be done to look for evidence of myositis. The most common are blood tests, specifically, ones looking for evidence of muscle damage. Normally, the cells of the body turn over slowly as part of your bodys general maintenance program, which fixes damaged cells and grows new ones. When cells are damaged, they leak out some proteins, whic…
Overview
- They can also be useful in patients whose symptoms are in the early stages, not neatly defined, or when the main initial symptom is something other than muscle weakness, like lung disease. When present, these tests can shine a light on the underlying condition, and lead to a faster diagnosis. While it is not fully clear if, or how, these can guide treatment at this point, there are some signs …
Dermatomyositis
- Treatment of myositis should always include regular exercise and physical therapy. It is somewhat counterintuitive to recommend exercise to myositis patients, whose muscle is already injured by their immune system. However, recent research has shown that physical therapy can help maintain and improve muscle function in myositis patients, without significant risk of harm…
Inclusion-body myositis
- There is no specific diet or food that is proven to help with myositis, but a healthy diet is important for general well-being, and in particular in patients with a chronic illness.
Juvenile myositis
- Myositis is a disease that can present in a variety of different forms, and can affect the whole body, not only the muscle. This can make it hard to make a diagnosis, but comprehensive assessment using all the tools available can make this possible, and hopefully will make it easier in the coming years. While there is no cure for myositis, most patients can manage their sympto…
Polymyositis
- Myositis is a general description for chronic, progressive inflammation of the muscles. Some ty…
This rare disease can be difficult to diagnose, and the cause is sometimes unknown. Symptoms can appear rapidly or gradually over time. Primary symptoms may include muscle pain and soreness, fatigue, trouble swallowing, and difficulty breathing. - In the United States, there are an estimated 1,600 to 3,200 new cases per year and 50,000 to 75,…
Myositis can affect both children and adults. With the exception of one type of myositis, women are more likely to be affected by this disease than men.
Toxic myositis
- Dermatomyositis (DM) is the easiest form of myositis to diagnose due to the purple-red rashes i…
Other symptoms of DM include: - scaly, dry, or rough skin
Gottron’s papules or Gottron’s sign (bumps found over the knuckles, elbows, and knees, often with a raised, scaly breakout)