Johns Hopkins Myositis Center

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Diagnosis of Myositis

Diagnosis of myositis will be made by our team of doctors, after reviewing your testing results and evaluating you at the Myositis Center.

In order to make a definite diagnosis of myositis, the following criteria must be met:

Clinical Examination

Patients should exhibit at least one of the following:

  1. Weakness of the shoulder and/or hip muscles.
  2. In cases of dermamyositis, particular skin findings are significant.  Usually a patchy, reddish rash on the knuckles, or eyelids are indicative of dermatomyositis when coupled with other significant symptoms like muscle weakness.

Diagnostic Testing

  1. Elevated muscle enzymes
  2. Electromyography must be consistent with feature of an inflammatory myopathy
  3. Muscle biopsy demonstrates changes consistent with inflammation.

Your doctors may also recommend the following tests to determine if you have myositis:

  1. Electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS)
  2. MRI of the muscles
  3. Muscle Biopsy
  4. Pulmonary Function Tests

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