Amyopathic dermatomyositis: a review

Abstract

Jim Gilliam's research interests throughout his career were forced upon better defining the relationships that exist between the cutaneous and systemic manifestations of the rheumatic diseases. Although the majority of his time was spent studying such relationships in lupus erythematosus patients, he was also intensely interested in dermatomyositis (DM) in this regard as well. He was particularly intrigued with the dissociation of the cutaneous and muscular manifestations of this disorder that occasionally occurs. The term "dermatomyositis siné myositis" has been used in the past to describe patients who present with only the cutaneous manifestations of DM; however, very little published data is available from systematic examinations of such patients. For several reasons, we have preferred the term "amyopathic dermatomyositis" to describe that rare patient who for long periods of time suffers from the classical skin lesions of DM as the only clinically significant manifestation of their disease. In this presentation, we review our own personal experience with a group of six such patients and compare and contrast it to that of other workers who have dealt with this subject over the past two decades.