Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2024 Aug 1;63(8):2093-2100.
doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kead481.

Comparison of clinical features between patients with anti-synthetase syndrome and dermatomyositis: results from the MYONET registry

Collaborators, Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparison of clinical features between patients with anti-synthetase syndrome and dermatomyositis: results from the MYONET registry

Ryan Malcolm Hum et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). .

Erratum in

Abstract

Objectives: To compare clinical characteristics, including the frequency of cutaneous, extramuscular manifestations and malignancy, between adults with anti-synthetase syndrome (ASyS) and DM.

Methods: Using data regarding adults from the MYONET registry, a cohort of DM patients with anti-Mi2/-TIF1γ/-NXP2/-SAE/-MDA5 autoantibodies, and a cohort of ASyS patients with anti-tRNA synthetase autoantibodies (anti-Jo1/-PL7/-PL12/-OJ/-EJ/-Zo/-KS) were identified. Patients with DM sine dermatitis or with discordant dual autoantibody specificities were excluded. Sub-cohorts of patients with ASyS with or without skin involvement were defined based on presence of DM-type rashes (heliotrope rash, Gottron's papules/sign, violaceous rash, shawl sign, V-sign, erythroderma, and/or periorbital rash).

Results: In total 1054 patients were included (DM, n = 405; ASyS, n = 649). In the ASyS cohort, 31% (n = 203) had DM-type skin involvement (ASyS-DMskin). A higher frequency of extramuscular manifestations, including Mechanic's hands, Raynaud's phenomenon, arthritis, interstitial lung disease and cardiac involvement differentiated ASyS-DMskin from DM (all P < 0.001), whereas higher frequency of any of four DM-type rashes-heliotrope rash (n = 248, 61% vs n = 90, 44%), violaceous rash (n = 166, 41% vs n = 57, 9%), V-sign (n = 124, 31% vs n = 28, 4%), and shawl sign (n = 133, 33% vs n = 18, 3%)-differentiated DM from ASyS-DMskin (all P < 0.005). Cancer-associated myositis (CAM) was more frequent in DM (n = 67, 17%) compared with ASyS (n = 21, 3%) and ASyS-DMskin (n = 7, 3%) cohorts (both P < 0.001).

Conclusion: DM-type rashes are frequent in patients with ASyS; however, distinct clinical manifestations differentiate these patients from classical DM. Skin involvement in ASyS does not necessitate increased malignancy surveillance. These findings will inform future ASyS classification criteria and patient management.

Keywords: Anti-synthetase syndrome; Cutaneous; Dermatomyositis; Epidemiology; Extramuscular; MYONET; Malignancy; Rashes; Skin.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flowchart illustrating the patients from the MYONET registry that were included and excluded from the study. DM-specific Ab refers to Mi2, TIF1γ, SAE, MDA5 and NXP2. ASyS-specific Ab refers to Jo1, PL12, PL7, EJ, OJ, Zo and KS. ASyS: anti-synthetase syndrome

References

    1. Oldroyd A, Lilleker J, Chinoy H. Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies – a guide to subtypes, diagnostic approach and treatment. Clin Med (Lond) 2017;17:322–8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Witt LJ, Curran JJ, Strek ME. The diagnosis and treatment of antisynthetase syndrome. Clin Pulm Med 2016;23:218–26. - PMC - PubMed
    1. McHugh NJ, Tansley SL. Autoantibodies in myositis. Nat Rev Rheumatol 2018;14:290–302. - PubMed
    1. Lundberg IE, Tjärnlund A, Bottai M et al. ; International Myositis Classification Criteria Project consortium, The Euromyositis register and The Juvenile Dermatomyositis Cohort Biomarker Study and Repository (JDRG) (UK and Ireland). 2017 European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for adult and juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies and their major subgroups. Ann Rheum Dis 2017;76:1955–64. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mammen AL, Allenbach Y, Stenzel W, Benveniste O; ENMC 239th Workshop Study Group. 239th ENMC International Workshop: classification of dermatomyositis, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 14-16 December 2018. Neuromuscul Disord 2020;30:70–92. - PubMed

Publication types

Supplementary concepts