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Dermatomyositis

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment

Symptoms:

• Muscles weakness, stiffness, or soreness
• Purple-red skin rash called a butterfly rash
• Purple or violet colored upper eyelids
• Muscle weakness
• Difficulty swallowing
• Shortness of breath
• Skin redness or inflammation

The muscle weakness may appear suddenly or occur slowly over weeks or months. You may have difficulty raising your arms over the head, rising from a sitting position, and climbing stairs.

The rash may appear over the face, neck, shoulders, upper chest, and back.

Signs and tests:

The doctor will perform a physical exam. Tests may include:

• Bloods test to check levels of creatine phosphokinase and aldolase
• ECG
• Electromyography
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Muscle biopsy

• Review Date: 4/12/2007
• Reviewed By: Kevin Berman, MD, PhD, Associate, Atlanta Center for Dermatologic Disease, Atlanta, GA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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