Myositis is inflammation of voluntary muscles, with causes ranging from autoimmune disorders to infections, injuries, and medication side effects. Elevated levels of creatine kinase in the blood indicate myositis. Treatment varies depending on the cause, with options including medication, physical therapy, and rest. Specific types of myositis include fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, fibromyalgia, dermatomyositis, polymyositis, and sporadic inclusion body myositis.
Myositis is a general term for the general inflammation of voluntary or skeletal muscles used for body movement and controlled consciously. The causes of myositis are very varied and can range from the most likely cause, autoimmune disorders, to other sources, such as simple infections and injuries. Another less common cause is the ingestion of statins and fibrates, lipid-lowering drugs, which can produce symptoms of myositis.
The presence of myositis in the body can be indicated by elevated levels of creatine kinase, or CPK, in the blood. CPK is an enzyme that stimulates biochemical reactions. Normally, it adds phosphates to creatine, a naturally occurring organic acid in the body that provides energy to muscles. When muscles are damaged, their cells break down and release CPK into the bloodstream, causing these elevated levels.
There are four main and common causes of body myositis. One cause, idiopathic inflammatory myopathy, includes several subtypes. Each patient’s myositis treatment will vary depending on the cause of the inflammation.
Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), a rare autoimmune disease, involving malformation of the skeleton. It usually affects athletes suffering from blunt trauma. Patients with FOP are encouraged to rest and given anti-inflammatory drugs. Surgery is rarely needed, but can be done if the condition prevents movement.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic, but not life-threatening disease characterized by pervasive pain in skeletal muscles and soft tissues, as well as sleep problems, migraines, fatigue and other symptoms. Normally, this affects the patient’s back, shoulders, neck, hands and pelvic region. Although the cause remains unknown, women are much more likely to develop the disease than men. Treatments may include antidepressant medications, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), exercise, relaxation techniques, and physical therapy.
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are diseases that affect connective tissue, causing muscle weakness and constant inflammation. Dermatomyositis is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy that also includes a rash. While it has no cure, it can be treated with physical therapy, medication, rest, orthotics, and heat therapy. The juvenile form of dermatomyositis, which affects children, involves many of the same treatments, but also relies heavily on steroid medications, nutritional support, and sunscreen use.
Another idiopathic inflammatory myopathy, polymyositis, is a rare and incurable disease which, in addition to muscle weakness and inflammation, can be characterized by the inability to swallow. It can be treated with medications and physical therapy; other possible treatments, including radiation therapy, remain under investigation. Sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM), an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy that is identified with a slow wasting and disintegration of muscles, typically affects older people, men more often than women. Even rare and untreatable, its symptoms can be managed with medication and physical therapy; patients typically require a walking aid after disease progression.
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