Juvenile dermatomyositis.

Thirteen cases of dermatomyositis seen in children are described. Records of hospitals serving 250,000 children were reviewed for the 10-year period during which these children were seen and no other cases were found. Eleven of the 13 are living, including seven believed to be in complete remission; the remainder have ongoing disease of varying severity. Literature concerning this unusual childhood disease is reviewed and there is general agreement as to the characteristic nature of the clinical picture. Special features, including rash, muscle findings, deformity, calcinosis and gastrointestinal bleeding, are discussed. Emphasis is placed on the value of steroid therapy, though some serious complications are acknowledged. Methotrexate, found promising by others, was without benefit in two cases.