Newer therapeutic approaches: inflammatory muscle disorders.

The inflammatory myopathies are rare disorders, affecting less than 10 individuals per million per year, and are often difficult to accurately diagnose This article briefly reviews the pathogenesis and clinical features of the inflammatory myopathies, reviews current approaches to therapy, and discusses some of the newer therapies being employed.

Clinical presentation of the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

The hallmark of the inflammatory myopathies is muscle weakness. Although this feature can lead to significant disability and impairment of activities of daily living, its initial presentation may not be recognized early. Older individuals, in particular, may feel that the changes caused by myositis reflect the effects of aging rather than those of a disease process, and diagnosis, therefore, may be delayed.

Cardiac involvement in myositis.

After careful examination, cardiac involvement can be found in certain patients with inflammatory muscle disease. The clinical significance is not always clear, although in some patients profound disturbances can become manifest. Currently, no laboratory assay can be relied on to detect cardiac disease with 100% accuracy.