IDIOPATHIC INFLAMMATORY MYOPATHY: CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN THE INDIAN POPULATION

The present study attempts to investigate the pathological basis of the two clinically different forms of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) namely, polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM). Clinicopathological analysis of 73 cases showed that muscle fibre necrosis and regeneration were more frequent in PM than in DM, the latter being significantly so (P<0.05). On the other hand, vasculitis was more often associated with DM while perifascicular atrophy of the muscle fibres was confined to it. Vasculitis was present in eight cases