title: Dermatomyositis without elevation of creatine kinase presented as bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia.
abstract: A case of dermatomyositis presented as bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia has been rarely reported. We describe a 46-year-old female patient with dermatomyositis without elevation of creatine kinase presented as bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia. She was treated with prednisolone and azathioprine. Over a 2-year follow-up she has had no elevation of creatine kinase. The patient remains asymptomatic and has no medication for dermatomyositis and bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia two years after initial treatment. It has been suggested that the prognosis of dermatomyositis without creatine kinase elevation may be poor. Because the prognosis of bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia is generally believed to be good, we tentatively suggest that the normal value of creatine kinase in dermatomyositis does not always seem to herald a poor prognosis, an associated malignancy or severe interstitial lung disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D001379:Azathioprine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood*; D018549:Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D003882:Dermatomyositis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D003402:Creatine Kinase; D001379:Azathioprine; D011241:Prednisone