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Diseases » Dermatomyositis » Glossary

Glossary for Dermatomyositis

Autoimmune diseases: A group of disorders in which the primary cause is the an inflammatory reaction caused by the body's own immune system attacking tissues
Bowel inflammation: A condition which is characterized by inflammation of the bowel portion of the gastrointestinal tract
Calcinosis cutis: Deposit of calcium in the skin tissues. The deposits can result from skin that has suffered damage, inflammation, cancer or necrosis. It can also occur when there is abnormal calcium and phosphate metabolism within the body such as occurs when there are high blood calcium and/or phosphate levels. In other cases, it occurs for no apparent reason. One or more lesions may be present and the size and severity can vary considerably depending on the underlying cause. Some cases are benign and pose no problem.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Severe chronic fatigue disorder often following infection.
Complement component 2 deficiency: A rare disorder where a deficiency of a compound called complement component 2 impairs the bodies ability to fight infection and autoimmune disorders.
Death: The cessation of life
Dermatomyositis: A muscle disease characterized by chronic muscle inflammation resulting in progressive muscle weakness and a characteristic rash.
Eosinophilia: This is when there is an abnormal increase in the eosinophils in the blood
Fibromyalgia: A difficult to diagnose condition affecting the muscles and/or joints
Heart disease: Any of various heart conditions.
Heart failure: Slow failure of the heart (cardiac insufficiency).
Hypertrichosis: Hypertrichosis is an overgrowth of hair not localized to the androgen-dependent areas of the skin
Hyporeflexia: A decreased reflex of the muscles
Inclusion Body Myositis: Progressive inflammatory muscle disease causing muscle weakness.
Infection: Infections as a symptom.
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis: Chronic arthritis affecting children and teens
Kidney stones: Stone-like calcium deposits in the kidney.
Kwashiorkor: A malnutrition state that is produced by severe protein deficiency
Lung conditions: Various conditions affecting the lungs or related airways.
Lung symptoms: Symptoms affecting one or both lungs.
Lupus: Autoimmune disease with numerous effects on various organs and linings.
Lyme disease: Lyme disease is an emerging infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria belonging to the genus Borrelia.
Mixed connective tissue disease: A rare disorder of the connective tissue which affects a range of body tissues and organs.
Muscle atrophy: Decrease in size and bulk of muscle.
Muscle conditions: Any condition that affects the muscles of the body
Muscle weakness: A condition which is characterized by an inability of the muscles to function at their full strenght
Muscular Hypertrophy: An increase in the size of the muscle cells.
Myositis: One of the underlying causes for muscle weakness/myopathy.
Paraneoplastic Neurologic Disorders: A term used to describe the distant neurological effects of cancer. It results from an autoimmune attack against antigens present in cancer and the nervous system. Peripheral nerves, central nervous system and muscle controlling nerves may be affected. Often the effects become obvious before the cancer is detected. Types of PNS include Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, subacute cerebellar ataxia, opsoclonus-myoclonus, retinopathies, limbic encephalitis, chronic gastrointestinal pseudoobstruction, sensory neuronopathy, encephalomyelitis, dermatomyositis, Stiff-Person syndrome and melanoma-associated retinopathy.
Pericarditis: Inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart
Pneumonia: Infection of the lung by bacteria, viruses or fungus.
Polymyalgia rheumatica: A condition characterized by muscle pain and stiffness, fatigue and fever. It is often associated with giant-cell arteritis which is a related but more serious condition.
Proximal muscle weakness: Weakness of the proximal muscles
Pulmonary fibrosis: A scarring condition that affects the lungs
Rash: A reaction to the exposure of the skin to an allergen
Raynaud's phenomenon: Blood vessel constriction attacks affecting fingers and/or toes.
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome: A condition characterized by pain and reduced range of motion in the shoulder and hand of the affected arm.
Respiratory infections: Any infection that occurs to the respiratory system
Rhabdomyolysis: Skeletal muscle injury or death, which releases muscle fibres into the blood.
Rheumatic conditions: Any condition that affects ones joints
Rheumatoid arthritis: Autoimmune form of arthritis usually in teens or young adults.
Rosacea: Inflammatory rash affecting cheeks, nose, forehead, chin
Scleroderma: A rare, progressive connective tissue disorder involving thickening and hardening of the skin and connective tissue. There are a number of forms of scleroderma with some forms being systemic (involving internal organs).
Skin bumps: Bumps or lumps on the skin.
Telangiectasia: The permanent dilation of pre-existing small blood vessels
Toxoplasmosis: Infection often caught from cats and their feces.
Trichinosis: Worm infection usually caught from pigs
Tropical Spastic Paraparesis: A form of spastic partial paralysis of the lower limbs which occurs in the tropics
Vasculitis: Inflammation of a blood or lymph vessel
Viral diseases: Any disease that is caused by a virus
Weakness: Symptoms causing weakness of the body