Summary
The case of a man with acute onset of muscle pain, weakness, anasarca, severe dysphagia and dysphonia, and biochemical, electromyographic and histologic evidence of polymyositis is presented. The literature on the occurrence of subcutaneous edema in polymyositis was reviewed. It is concluded that this particular symptom, with no other apparent cause, including heart failure from the underlying disease, is a rare but definite feature of polymyositis itself. A correlation of that with severe bulbar muscle involvement is also suggested.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
DeVere R, Bradley WG (1975) Polymyositis — its presentation, morbidity and mortality. Brain 98:637–666
Bohan A, Peter JB, Bowman RL, Pearson CM (1977) A computer assisted analysis of 153 patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Medicine (Baltimore) 56:255–286
Wagner E (1887) Ein Fall von acuter polymyositis. Dtsch Arch Med 40:241–266
Lyon-Caen O, Bouche P, Chanu MP, Duyckaerts DH, Vitoux JF (1985) Polymyosite aigue avec oedeme sous-cutane spontanement regressive. A propos d'un cas. Rev Neurol (Paris) 141:749–752
Venables GS, Bates D, Cartlidge NEF, Hudgson P (1982) Acute polymyositis with subcutaneous edema. J Neurol Sci 55:161–164
Bradley WG, Tandan R (1989) Inflammatory diseases of muscle. In: Kelley WN, Harris ED, Ruddy S, Sledge CB (eds) Textbook of rheumatology. Saunders, Philadelphia, pp 1263–1287
Conn DL, Hunder GG (1989) Vaculitis and related disorders. In: Kelley WN, Harris ED, Ruddy S, Sledge CB (eds) Textbook of rheumatology. Saunders, Philadelphia, pp 1167–1199
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Andonopoulos, A.P., Gogos, C.A. & Tzanakakis, G. Subcutaneous edema: an “unrecognized” feature of acute polymyositis. Rheumatol Int 13, 159–161 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00301264
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00301264