Myositis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis

Would you like to know what lab results mean? DDxHub - Differential Diagnosis Hub helps to understand and explains your blood test.

Dermatomyositis is a muscle disease characterized by inflammation and a skin rash. It is a type of inflammatory myopathy. The cause of dermatomyositis is unknown. Experts think it may be due to a viral infection of the muscles or a problem with the body's immune system. It can also sometimes occur in patients who have cancer of the abdomen, lung or other body area. Anyone can develop dermatomyositis, but it most commonly occurs in children age 5 - 15 and adults age 40 - 60. Women develop this condition more often than men do. Polymyositis is a similar condition, but the symptoms occur without a skin rash. Symptoms: Difficulty swallowing; Muscle weakness, stiffness, or soreness; Purple or violet colored upper eyelids; Purple-red skin rash; Shortness of breath; The muscle weakness may appear suddenly or develop slowly over weeks or months. You may have difficulty raising your arms over your head, rising from a sitting position, and climbing stairs. The rash may appear over the face, knuckles, neck, shoulders, upper chest, and back.

Symptoms:

Laboratory Test Procedures:

difficulty swallowing
muscle aches
muscle weakness
muscle stiffness
purple or violet colored upper eyelids
purple-red skin rash
shortness of breath
difficulty raising arms over head

Creatine Kinase
Extractable Nuclear Antigen Antibodies
ESR - Sed Rate
DDxHub Differential Diagnosis online system provides with more lab test procedures...

You have symptoms and blood work results. How do they correlate? What is the health condition? Some disorders have similar signs and laboratory values. DDxHub helps to define a right diagnosis. Run DDxHub now and enter symptoms and test results.




All information on this page is intended for your general knowledge only and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See Additional Information