Intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide therapy in myositis and Sjögren's syndrome

✍ Scribed by J. P. Leroy; A. A. Drosos; D. I. Yiannopoulos; P. Youinou; H. M. Moutsopoulos

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 271 KB
• Volume: 33
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-3591
• DOI: 10.1002/art.1780331017

✦ Synopsis

We describe a patient with primary Sjogren's syndrome who developed myositis. The results of muscle pathologic analysis before and after treatment with monthly pulses of cyclophosphamide (intravenously), are presented.

Late-onset myositis has been described in patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS) (1-3). In this report, we describe a patient with SS and myositis who had an excellent therapeutic response to intravenous (IV) pulse cyclophosphamide therapy. Findings from histopathologic studies of muscle samples are discussed.

Case report. The patient, a 65-year-old housewife, was referred in May 1989 to the Department of Internal Medicine, Hatzikosta General Hospital, Ioannina, Greece, for evaluation of muscle pain and distal muscular weakness of the upper and lower extremities of 4 months duration. Since 1985, the patient had experienced dryness of the mouth and eyes. In 1986, she developed nonscarring alopecia, and in late 1988,