Juvenile dermatomyositis in a 6 year old boy: A rare case

Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM) is a systemic capillary vasculopathy and idiophatic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) in children. It is a rare disease with incidence in the United States 3 per million children per year. A 6-year-old child complained about red spots on his right and left knees. He had red spots which became white spots and thickening skin on his knuckles since 4 months ago before hospitalized. Redness occurred around the eyes and his back since 2 months ago. He had muscle weakness especially on his limb since 2 months ago. JDM has peak occurrence during infancy with ages of 5 and 15. Genetic, environmental and immunological factors are believed to contribute to the development of JDM. The clinical symptoms of this condition are varied, with different levels of skin, muscle, gastrointestinal and cardiac. The goals of treatment are to control inflammatory myositis and prevent complication. It is important for dermatologist to know this disease clearly, so that can make a proper diagnosis and carry out appropriate management.