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Rare disease
CASE REPORT
Subcutaneous oedema of upper limbs heralding an aggressive form of dermatomyositis
  1. Mohit Shukla,
  2. Rishi Patel,
  3. Halyna Kuzyshyn,
  4. David Feinstein
  1. Department of Rheumatology, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Mohit Shukla, shukla-mohit{at}cooperhealth.edu

Summary

Subcutaneous oedema is a rare presenting clinical manifestation of dermatomyositis. In this case, we report a 44-year-old man presenting with bilateral upper extremity predominant swelling and weakness. The proximal muscle weakness, dysphagia and presence of Gottron’s papules as well poikiloderma like skin changes led to the clinical diagnosis of dermatomyositis. He received aggressive treatment with high-dose glucocorticoids and required intravenous immunoglobulin with improvement in his symptoms.

  • connective tissue disease
  • dermatology
  • muscle disease
  • screening (oncology)

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2017-221908

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors MS: performed the literature search and discussion. RP: performed clinical case presentation. HK: was the attending physician who acted in the co-management of this clinical case and was also reviewer of the case report. DF: provided his expertise in reviewing as well as preparation of the draft.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent Obtained.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.