Dermatomyositis

Overview :

Dermatomyositis is one of a group of three related diseases called inflammatory myopathies. The other two are polymyositis and inclusion-body myositis. These diseases are rare; only about 20,000 people in the United States have dermatomyositis. Another estimates suggest that DM occurs in about 5.5 individuals out of every one million. The disease is of unknown origin and can develop in children and adults. Most often individuals either develop DM either between the ages of five and 14 or they do not develop it until they are over age 45. In all age groups, females are twice as likely to develop the disease than males. Although DM causes pain and weakness, it is not necessarily life threatening. However, adults, but not children, who develop DM have an increased risk of developing cancer and should be screened for malignancies regularly.