Myositis and Patient Safety

Myositis Classifications

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So far, most of the evidence suggests that polymyositis and dermatomyositis are autoimmune disorders, illnesses in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues. The muscles of people with inclusion body myositis contain an abnormal protein called amyloid, but the reason it forms is unknown. This amyloid protein is similar to the protein deposited in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, and some experts believe that the two diseases may develop the same way. In inclusion body myositis, the muscle also contains tiny structures that resemble viral particles (called inclusion bodies), although no viral infection has been consistently identified in association with this disease. In dermatomyositis, cancer is found in approximately 10% to 20% of cases. Sometimes, the muscle problem develops first. In other cases, the cancer is detected before the myositis.