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Patient education: Polymyositis (The Basics)

Patient education: Polymyositis (The Basics)

What is polymyositis? — Polymyositis ("PM") is a condition that causes muscle weakness. In PM, the muscles get inflamed. Doctors don't know what causes PM.

PM is more common in adults, but it can also happen in children.

What are the symptoms of PM? — PM causes muscle weakness. The weakness affects both sides of the body and usually happens slowly over time. It involves muscles closest to the trunk of the body, such as those in the neck, shoulders, hips, and thighs. Depending on the muscles involved, people with PM can have trouble climbing stairs, lifting things above their head, or swallowing.

Is there a test for PM? — Yes. Your doctor or nurse will order 1 or more of the following tests:

Blood tests – These include tests to look for muscle irritation and inflammation, and to check how your immune system is working. (The immune system is the body's infection-fighting system.)

Electromyography ("EMG") – This test shows whether your muscles are responding to the nerves' electrical signals correctly.

Muscle biopsy – For this test, the doctor takes a small sample of tissue from a muscle that is weak. Then, another doctor looks at the sample under a microscope.

An imaging test called an MRI scan – Imaging tests create pictures of the inside of the body. This can show changes in the muscle.

How is PM treated? — The main treatment for PM includes medicines called steroids. Steroids help reduce inflammation.

People with PM usually need to take steroids for a long time. But steroids have side effects of their own. They can make your bones weak and raise your chances of getting an infection. To avoid these side effects as much as possible, your doctor will slowly lower (or "taper") your dose over time.

Your doctor can treat you with other medicines if you can't take steroids, the steroids don't help enough, or your symptoms come back. These medicines help reduce inflammation, too, but they are different than steroids. Sometimes, doctors prescribe both steroids and these other medicines at the same time to treat PM.

In children, long-term use of steroids can slow normal growth. To help prevent this side effect, doctors usually prescribe steroids along with other medicines to children. That way, children can take less of the steroids and have a better chance of growing normally.

Other treatment for PM involves keeping your body as strong as possible and preventing further problems. This usually includes:

Working with a physical therapist (exercise expert) to learn exercises to strengthen your muscles

Changing what and how you eat if you have trouble swallowing or choke easily on your food

Taking medicines to help prevent side effects from the steroids

What if I want to get pregnant? — If you want to get pregnant, talk with your doctor or nurse. They will work with you to get your PM under control before you try to get pregnant. Plus, they will make sure that your medicines are safe to take during pregnancy.

What will my life be like? — It depends on your individual situation. Some people with PM have only mild symptoms. But many people have more bothersome symptoms that last years.

PM can also cause other types of long-term medical problems. These include lung and heart problems.

More on this topic

Patient education: Dermatomyositis (The Basics)
Patient education: Coping with high drug prices (The Basics)
Patient education: Side effects from medicines (The Basics)
Patient education: Medical care during advanced illness (The Basics)

Patient education: Polymyositis, dermatomyositis, and other forms of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (Beyond the Basics)

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Feb 02, 2024.
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