Patterns of Polymyositis and Their Responses to Treatment

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Abstract
From personal experience with 48 cases of polymyositis one can subdivide polymyositis into six types, based upon the clinical features, age of onset, pathological characteristics, and association with a malignancy. Therapy with prednisone has effected major improvement in most cases. Long term maintenance corti-costeroid therapy is also necessary. Monitoring of the effectiveness of treatment has been made easier when a serum enzyme, such as transaminase, is serially followed. Those cases in which a neoplasm coexists respond poorly to prednisone, but some of these may improve if the tumor can be found and removed. In general, the long-term outlook for most patients with a diagnosis of polymyositis or dermatomyositis is highly favorable.
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