Polymyositis

Types of myositis

There are different types of myositis which all affect the muscles, including:

polymyositis which affects many different muscles, particularly theshoulders, hips and thigh muscles; it's more common in women and tends to affect people aged 30 to 60
dermatomyositis which as well as affecting the muscles causes a rash; it's also more common in women and affects both adults and children
post-infectious reactive myositis which you can get after some viral infections and causes the muscles to become inflamed; this type of myositis is usually mild and settles without treatment
inclusion body myositis (IBM) which causes muscle weakness, usually in the hands, forearms and calves; it only rarely causes muscle pain,is more common in men, and tends to affect people over the age of 50

See below for more detailed information about polymyositis and dermatomyositis, the two most common types of myositis.

There are at least three distinct patterns that can occur in people with myositis. Some people have:

severe symptoms (acute myositis) that may settle in one to two years
longer-lasting or persistent symptoms (chronic persistent disease)
symptoms that tend to come and go (relapsing disease)

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018

Articles for polymyositis

Introduction

Find out about myositis, including the different types of myositis, how it's diagnosed and treated and the possible complications.

Types of myositis

There are different types of myositis which all affect the muscles, including: polymyositis which affects many different muscles, particularly theshoulders, hips and thigh muscles; it's more commo

Symptoms of polymyositis

Polymyositisaffects many different muscles, particularly around the neck, shoulders, back, hips and thighs. Symptoms include: muscle weakness aching or painfulmuscles extreme tiredness generally

Symptoms of dermatomyositis

Dermatomyositis also affects the muscles and the symptoms are similar to those of polymyositis (see above). But in addition there's also a distinctive rash. Before the muscle symptoms occur, a red

Diagnosing myositis

Your GP will ask you about your symptoms and examine you.If they think you may have myositis, youll need to have some tests to help rule out other conditions with similar symptoms. Tests you may have

Treating myositis

Exercise and physiotherapy You must be very careful about exercising if you have severe symptoms of myositis, such as severe muscle pain and weakness. Most specialists don't recommend exercising duri

Outlook

Most people withmyositis respond to a combination of steroid and immunosuppressive therapy, alongside carefully-controlled exercise. Steroids are often needed, in very low doses, for several years as

Some people with myositisrespond less well to treatment and find the condition significantly affects their everyday activities and quality of life. But continuing toexercise usually helps improve musc

Help and support

Myositis UK provides further information, help and support for people who arediagnosed withmyositis and their families. The Myositis Association (of America) also provides information about polymyos

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