Children With Autoimmune Muscle Disease Who Have Certain Autoantibodies in Their Blood Are More Likely to Have Severe Disease

Description

Myositis is a rare family of diseases in which the immune system incorrectly attacks healthy muscle tissue, causing inflammation, weakness, and fatigue. Some people with myositis, as well as other autoimmune diseases such as lupus or scleroderma, have myositis-associated autoantibodies (MAA). In this study, the researchers found that among children with myositis, 36 percent had one type of MAA and 13 percent had more than one type of MAA. Children with myositis who had at least one type of MAA were more likely to have interstitial lung disease and experience more severe disease symptoms. In addition, those with more types of MAA had higher mortality rates.

What is exciting about this article?

Testing for MAA may be clinically useful in children with myositis. Given the association between MAA and severe disease, children with myositis who have one or more MAA types may need to receive more aggressive treatment than those without these autoantibodies. Future studies will explore whether this approach would improve clinical outcomes.

Grant support

1ZIAAR041203