Pathogenesis of Inflammatory Muscle Diseases

염증성 근질환의 발병기전

The inflammatory myopathies are divided into three major and distinct subsets as polymyositis(PM), dermatomyositis(DM), and inclusion body myositis(IBM). This distinction is based on unique clinical, demographic, laboratory, histologic, therapeutic, prognostic, and immunopathologic criteria. Although the causes of PM, DM, and IBM are unknown, autoimmune mechanisms are implicated, as supported by their association with other putative or definite autoimmune diseases or viruses, the evidence for a T cell-mediated myocytotoxicity or complement-mediated microangiopathy, the presence of various autoantibodies and their response to immunotherapies. But in IBM the immune-mediated process is weaker and IBM patients do not readily respond to immunotherapies, there are convincing immunopathological signs to suggest that a definite autoimmune component, similar to that seen in PM, also plays a role in the cause of IBM.