Review Articles

Cardiac Manifestations in Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies

An Overview

Jayakumar, Divya MD; Zhang, Rui MD; Wasserman, Amy MD; Ash, Julia MD

From the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, New York Medical College/Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY.

Disclosure: The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Both the authors D.J. and R.Z. are first authors and contributed equally to this study.

Correspondence: Julia Ash, MD, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Westchester Medical Center, Taylor Care Pavilion, D342, Valhalla, NY 10595. E-mail: [email protected].

Cardiology in Review 27(3):p 131-137, May/June 2019. | DOI: 10.1097/CRD.0000000000000241

Abstract

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are a group of autoimmune diseases that are characterized by muscle inflammation resulting in elevated muscle enzyme release and distinctive biopsy findings. This group of conditions includes polymyositis, dermatomyositis, inclusion body myositis, and necrotizing autoimmune myopathy. Although they have many similarities, the inflammatory myopathies differ in their clinical, pathological, and treatment realms. Extramuscular manifestations may involve many organs that include the skin, joints, heart, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. Cardiovascular involvement is one of the leading causes of mortality in polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Surveillance and prevention of cardiovascular risk factors are therefore essential. In this article, we review the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and management of cardiovascular complications of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies with the main focus on polymyositis and dermatomyositis.