Baseline characteristics of 20 patients with PM/DM treated with PRED and CSA alone (group I) or associated with IVIg (group II) or with PEX-IVIg (group III). Data are expressed as median, see “Patients and methods” for details
| Group I (n=7) | Group II (n=7) | Group III (n=6) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Before the start of indicated treatment. | |||
| ANA, antinuclear antibody; AZA, azathioprine; ENA, extractable nuclear antigen; MTX, methotrexate. | |||
| Men/women | 2/5 | 2/5 | 0/6 |
| Age at onset, years (range) | 34 (24–57) | 46 (22–66) | 32 (24–57) |
| DM/PM | 4/3 | 5/2 | 3/3 |
| Initial MRC values (range) | 74.4 (65–81) | 78.5 (64–80) | 76.4 (62–78) |
| Initial serum CK levels (U/l) (range) | 706 (281–5500) | 2617 (270–6571) | 2431 (90–10 300) |
| Other clinical features | |||
| Arthritis | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Interstitial lung disease | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Raynaud's phenomenon | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Oesophageal dysmotility | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Positivity to ANA/anti-ENA | 0/0 | 2/1 | 0/0 |
| Previous cytotoxic drug treatment | 1 MTX | 1 AZA + MTX | 1 AZA + 1 MTX |
| Disease duration*, months (range) | 14 (1–96) | 44 (2–60) | 13 (6–42) |
| Duration of follow up, months (range) | 19 (6–60) | 60 (38–96) | 28 (7–95) |