|
| |
Symptoms of Dermatomyositis
In most people the illness
develops slowly over months or years. In some it can occur suddenly.
This autoimmune disease results in the production of proteins called autoantibodies
which attack the body's tissues.
It is a disease of flares and remissions for no apparent reason.
Common symptoms
of Dermatomyositis include
- A violet-colored or dusky red rash, most commonly on your face, eyelids, and areas
around your nails, knuckles, elbows, knees, chest and back. Affected areas are typically
more sensitive to sun exposure.
- Progressive muscle weakness, particularly in the muscles closest to the trunk, such as
those in your hips, thighs, shoulders, upper arms and neck. This weakness is symmetrical,
affecting both the left and right sides of your body.
- Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia).
- Joint or muscle pain or tenderness.
- Fatigue, fever and weight loss.
- Hardened deposits of calcium under the skin (calcinosis), especially in children.
- Gastrointestinal ulcers and infections, also more common in children.
- Lung problems.
|
| |
|
