title: Dermatomyositis induced by drug therapy: a review of case reports.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Drugs have occasionally been implicated in dermatomyositis (DM) onset.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to review case reports of drug-induced DM.
  
  
  METHODS
  Articles were gathered from MEDLINE and bibliographies of acquired reports. Causality was assessed using World Health Organization criteria. Clinical characteristics, management, and resolution were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 70 reported cases, 50% of patients were female and the median age was 57 years. Hydroxyurea was implicated in 51% of cases. All cases had pathognomonic (76%) or compatible (24%) cutaneous findings. Hydroxyurea cases lacked myositis, but myositis was described in 79.4% of nonhydroxyurea cases. Drug causality was probable (25.7%) or possible (74.3%), but not certain in any case. Most patients had underlying pathology associated with DM (44% had malignancy; 16% had rheumatoid arthritis). Of the sample, 84.3% had improvement of DM after discontinuation of the drug.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Case reports may emphasize unusual findings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further work is needed to differentiate drug effects from underlying, predisposing factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111-1533, USA. anne.seidler@alumni.tufts.edu
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Seidler
authors.forename: Alice B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Gottlieb
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000009:adverse effects; D003882:Dermatomyositis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D005047:Etoposide / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006918:Hydroxyurea / Q000009:adverse effects; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D005047:Etoposide; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D006918:Hydroxyurea