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Cutaneous Dermatomyositis: An Updated Review of Treatment Options and Internal Associations

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Abstract

Dermatomyositis is a specific type of inflammatory myopathy with characteristic cutaneous findings. Patients may have skin disease without clinically apparent muscle disease, but this disorder is best thought of as a systemic process. Therefore, all patients with dermatomyositis skin lesions need appropriate evaluation for muscle disease, esophageal dysfunction, cardiopulmonary disease, and potential internal malignancy. There are many therapies that have been used for patients with dermatomyositis, but most are based upon case series or expert opinion rather than meta-analyses or randomized, placebo-controlled trials. Even those therapies that have been subjected to randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trials include a mixture of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy and do not utilize a validated assessment tool for measuring cutaneous disease responses. In this review, we discuss the therapies available as well as the internal associations with dermatomyositis.

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Acknowledgments

No sources of funding were necessary for this work.

Dr. Jeffrey Callen is a consultant for Xoma, and a consultant for Amgen regarding the use of etanercept for psoriasis. Dr. Jeffrey Callen also receives fees for participating on the safety monitoring board for Celgene. Dr. Ruth Ann Vleugels’ career has been supported by a Dermatology Foundation Medical Dermatology Career Development Award; she has no conflicts of interest. Dr. Alisa Femia has no conflicts of interest, and the authors have no relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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  1. Department of Dermatology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Alisa N. Femia & Ruth Ann Vleugels

  2. Division of Dermatology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, USA

    Jeffrey P. Callen

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  1. Alisa N. Femia
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Correspondence to Jeffrey P. Callen.

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Femia, A.N., Vleugels, R.A. & Callen, J.P. Cutaneous Dermatomyositis: An Updated Review of Treatment Options and Internal Associations. Am J Clin Dermatol 14, 291–313 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40257-013-0028-6

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