Exercising, avoiding the sun, and maintaining a relatively stress-free lifestyle are three ways to stay healthy and avoid flares. In the last episode of this five-part video series, Dr. Eleni Tiniakou, a physician at the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center, explains the steps to living a normal life after a Dermatomyositis diagnosis.
The goal of treatment in Dermatomyositis is to bring down the immune system so that it stops attacking the healthy tissues in the muscle. There are many side effects of the medication, Prednisone, that is used to treat myositis diseases, so the patient won’t stay on it for long. Scientists and doctors are still looking for alternative medicines that are more effective and less harmful. In this video series, Dr. Eleni Tiniakou, a physician at the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center, explains the treatment options for Dermatomyositis.
The enzymes that indicate Dermatomyositis also indicate liver disease, which is much more common. Most doctors will perform a liver biopsy that shows everything is normal. Then, they will look at the enzymes in the muscle and see that there is a problem. In this video series, Dr. Eleni Tiniakou, a physician at the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center, discusses the process of diagnosing Dermatomyositis.
A common complication in any of the rheumatic diseases is Reynaud’s disease, and Dermatomyositis is no different. Dermatomyositis presents symptoms in many ways; however, the most common signs are skin, muscle, and lung issues. The skin usually presents a rash (like a sunburn) that doesn’t go away, there is progressive muscle weakness, and lung inflammation that causes extreme shortness of breath. In this video series, Dr. Eleni Tiniakou, a physician at the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center, explains the common symptoms of Dermatomyositis.
Dermatomyositis is a rare autoimmune myopathy disease that targets the muscles and skin. Dermatomyositis causes a characteristic skin rash on the chest, back, or arms that looks like a sunburn. It also causes muscle weakness so severe that it can be hard for some patients to do everyday things such as climbing a flight of stairs, standing up from a chair or bed, and even combing their hair. In this video series, Dr. Eleni Tiniakou, a physician at the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center, explores the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options for Dermatomyositis.