title: Clinical efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulins for the treatment of dermatomyositis skin lesions without muscle disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Treating dermatomyositis (DM) with isolated skin involvement is difficult and inconsistently performed. Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) are recommended for corticoresistant or corticodependant DM, but only a few cases of IVIg use in DM with isolated skin involvement have been reported.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a retrospective monocentric study of 27 patients who were treated with IVIg for severe DM skin lesions (no or minor muscle involvement) after failure of photoprotection and at least one line of treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nineteen patients (70%) exhibited a major response, four patients exhibited a partial response and four patients exhibited no response, including two patients with grade 3 side effects (headaches). The mean number of IVIg courses was 4.8 (range 1-15). Ten patients (53%) relapsed, with a median time of 6.2 months after the last IVIg course. Six of these patients were successfully treated with a new IVIg course. Muscle disease developed in six patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IVIg may be an effective and safe treatment for DM with isolated skin involvement. Relapse occurred frequently, but treatment with a new course of IVIg was successful. Controlled studies are required to confirm these results.
authors.affiliation: Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité; AP-HP; Service de Dermatologie, Hôpital Saint Louis, Paris, France.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bounfour
authors.forename: J-D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Bouaziz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bézier
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cordoliani
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saussine
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petit
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Juillard
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bagot
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rybojad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003882:Dermatomyositis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous