Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis

A review of the inflamatory myopathies that comprise polymyositis and dermatomysitis. The book takes a practical approach and covers clinical features and diagnostic tests and a team of contributors reviews how best to diagnose and manage this potentially fatal disease. Written with a practical emphasis, the book gives the classification of polymyositis and dermatomyositis and details of the clinical presentation, advances in the dermatomyositis and viral aetology of polymyositis and dermatomyositis together with a discussion of the use of animal models in understanding the basic mechanism of muscle fibre injury, comprising of the various diagnostic techniques available (including the interpretation of muscle biopsies and the EMG) and the available therapeutic options together with a discussion of rehabilitation programmes