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Summary
The term « Polymyositis » includes a wide spectrum of disorders, for which clinical and histological diagnostic criteria are often lacking specificity.
A clinical picture of polymyositis may happen in a variety of pathological conditions, including collagen-vascular diseases and neoplasia.
The « overlap syndromes » characterize the myositis occuring in collagen-vascular diseases. The occurence of myalgia, arthralgia, Raynaud’s phenomenon and serologic rhumatoi’d factors is probably more common in this group than in uncomplicated PM and DM, not related to collagen-vascular diseases.
Histological changes in uncomplicated PM and DM are sometimes limited to muscle fiber dege, neration and regeneration, having occasionally a perifascicular topography. This pattern is very characteristic and perhaps pathognomonic whereas inflammatory infiltrates are not specific.
The association between PM and cancer can be postulated. However there are so far no statistically convincing data to support this notion unequivocally and the high rate recorded by some authors is not grounded on reliable epidemiologic data.
The greatest prevalence of cancer seems to occur in florid dermato-myositis.
Notes
Communication présence à la Société belge de Médecine Interne le 6 novembre 1976.