What is Polymyositis?
It is an idiopathic disease which is very uncommon. It is kind of inflammatory, which causes weakening of muscles over a period. The weakness of a patient is progressive, and it generally starts with trunk of the body. As said that polymyositis is an idiopathic disease it can be managed if treated early. Several treatments approach can be used for treating this disease which ensures to manage patients condition and take it into remission stage. There is no sure-shot medicine but if polymyositis diagnosed and treated in early stage, patients muscles would not damage permanently. The early treatment also increases the chances of full recovery of the patient.
What is Dermatomyositis?
Just like polymyositis there is another disease known as dermatomyositis, which has some similar symptoms. Dermatomyositis causes weakening of muscles driven by distinctive skin breaking loose. Unlike polymyositis, dermatomyositis has no particular known cause. There are many assumptions like it is cause of autoimmune reaction or may trigger due to cancer or some other virus. There is no specific reason that why it takes place in a body and who is likely to get affected by it. It can happen to anybody at any age. However, we can say that it mostly affect adults in between the age of 40 to 60 and children between 5 to 15 years of age.
Symptoms
The symptoms for polymyositis can be finding in entire body and it is easy to trace. Anorexia, difficulty in swallowing, fatigue, fever, joint pain, morning stiffness, muscle pain, muscle weakness in muscles like hips, shoulders etc. shortness of breath, weight loss are some very common symptoms for tracing polymyositis.
The symptoms of dermatomyositis are almost same, but it has some additional signs that help for diagnosis. Dermatomyositis belongs to a group situation which is known as excited myopathies. Patients with dermatomyositis often show a detectable level of autoantibodies in blood. Furthermore, the eruption of red, purple-color on face and eyelids, sectors around the nails is few more symptoms that give indication about dermatomyositis. Apart from muscle weakness, rashes are seen on skin. The weakening of muscle is often progressive and this weakness often happened in hips, thighs, shoulders, upper arms and neck. This weakness can take place in right as well left side of the body. Skin rash often remains very helpful in diagnosing dermatomyositis. The children suffering from dermatomyositis sometimes skin become hard whereas in adults, skin rashes are very strong without weakening of muscles. Women are likely to get affected more by dermatomyositis then men.
Treatment
To treat polymyositis, corticosteroid medication is good option. After 4-6 weeks of treatment, when muscles strength gets improved medication can be decreased gradually. To maintain the present physical condition after corticosteroid medication therapy with prednisone can be sustained for a longer period. Sometimes medications for controlling immune response also used while treating polymyositis ,if patient doesnt responds to corticosteroid.
Dermatomyositis can be treated very easily if treatment begun in early stages due to fewer complications. Corticosteroids like prednisone often remain first choice for treating inflammatory myopathies. However, there are many other options such as azathioprine or methotrexate. To control or treat accompanying pain aspirin or ibuprofen are used. In many cases surgery is the option for removing calcium deposits.
