Study of the Autoimmune Reaction in Dermatomyositis

SINCE the original and independent descriptions of dermatomyositis by Wagner,¹Hepp,²and Unverricht³in 1887, much has been written about its etiology. Such diverse factors as endocrine imbalance,⁴, ⁵infection,⁶allergy,⁷and alterations in vitamin E metabolism⁸have all been suggested as the cause of this disease, yet the etiology and pathogenesis of dermatomyositis remain obscure. Although Stertz⁹first called attention to the association of dermatomyositis with internal malignancy in 1916, it has only been within the past 9 years that this occurrence has been shown separately by Curtis,¹⁰Williams,¹¹and Arundell¹²to be more than just an unusual association of diseases. Dermatomyositis in children is not related to neoplastic disease.¹³, ¹⁴When one eliminates those cases occurring in the younger age group from a clinical study, the incidence of neoplasia in adults with dermatomyositis becomes rather high