Myositis (Print Version)

Myositis is inflammation of your skeletal muscles, which are also called the voluntary muscles. These are the muscles you consciously control that help you move your body. An injury, infection or autoimmune disease can cause myositis.

The diseases dermatomyositis and polymyositis both involve myositis. Polymyositis causes muscle weakness, usually in the muscles closest to the trunk of your body. Dermatomyositis causes muscle weakness, plus a skin rash. Both diseases are usually treated with prednisone, a steroid medicine, and sometimes other medicines.

Start Here

Dermatomyositis(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dermatomyositis/dermatomyositis.htm
Inflammatory Myopathies(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/inflammatory_myopathies/detail_inflammatory_myopathies.htm
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/trastornos/Las-Miopatias-Inflamatorias.htm
Polymyositis(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/polymyositis/polymyositis.htm

Overviews

Inflammatory Myopathies(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/inflammatory_myopathies/inflammatory_myopathies.htm
Myositis(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/disease-center.php?disease_id=15
What Is Myositis?(Myositis Association of America) - http://www.myositis.org/template/page.cfm?id=2
Also available in Spanish http://www.myositis.org/template/page.cfm?id=50

Diagnosis/Symptoms

Diagnosis(Myositis Association of America) - http://www.myositis.org/template/page.cfm?id=8

Treatment

PM (Polymyositis) and DM (Dermatomyositis) Treatments(Muscular Dystrophy Association) - http://www.mda.org/publications/fa-myosi-pmdmchart.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.mda.org/espanol/esp-fa-myosi-table.html
Treatment(Myositis Association of America) - http://www.myositis.org/template/page.cfm?id=18

Nutrition

Polymyositis: Can a Gluten-Free Diet Reduce Symptoms?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/polymyositis/AN00572/METHOD=print

Disease Management

Myositis FAQ(Myositis Association of America) - http://www.myositis.org/template/page.cfm?id=13

Specific Conditions

Dermatomyositis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/dermatomyositis/DS00335/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
Inclusion Body Myositis(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/inclusion_body_myositis/inclusion_body_myositis.htm
Polymyositis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/polymyositis/DS00334/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
What are Inflammatory Myopathies?(Muscular Dystrophy Association) - http://www.mda.org/publications/fa-myosi-qa.html

Related Issues

Autoimmunity(Myositis Association of America) - http://www.myositis.org/template/page.cfm?id=329
Complications of Myositis(Myositis Association of America) - http://www.myositis.org/template/page.cfm?id=328

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Dermatomyositis(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Dermatomyositis%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Myositis(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Myositis%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Polymyositis(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Polymyositis%22

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Massive ventral hernia with extensive heterotopic ossification: the honeycomb-abdomen. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19359942&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Images in clinical medicine. Gingival and periungual vasculopathy of juvenile... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19357401&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Review of the classification and assessment of the cutaneous manifestations... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19336019&tool=MedlinePlus
Myositis -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=myositis[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Dictionaries/Glossaries

Glossary(Myositis Association of America) - http://www.myositis.org/template/page.cfm?id=311

Directories

Find a Doctor(Myositis Association of America) - http://www.myositis.org/template/page.cfm?id=300

Organizations

Muscular Dystrophy Association - http://www.mda.org/
Also available in Spanish http://www.mdaenespanol.org/
Myositis Association of America - http://www.myositis.org/
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.niams.nih.gov/Portal_En_Espanol/
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/

Children

For Children Living with Myositis(Myositis Association of America) - http://www.myositis.org/community/kids.cfm
For Parents and Adults to Learn More about JM (Juvenile Myositis)(Myositis Association of America) - http://www.myositis.org/community/parents.cfm
Juvenile Dermatomyositis(Myositis Association of America) - http://www.myositis.org/template/page.cfm?id=184

Teenagers

For Teens and Young Adults Dealing with JM (Juvenile Myositis)(Myositis Association of America) - http://www.myositis.org/community/teens.cfm
Nutrition: Choosing the Right Foods(Myositis Association of America) - http://www.myositis.org/template/page.cfm?id=362
What Is Juvenile Myositis (JM)?(Myositis Association of America) - http://www.myositis.org/template/page.cfm?id=348

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Muscle Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/muscledisorders.html
Bones, Joints and Muscles - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bonesjointsandmuscles.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Myositis is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/