Guide To Dermatomyositis Complications And Related Conditions

Scleroderma

A dermatomyositis patient may also be affected by scleroderma as an associated condition. Scleroderma is a disease where an individual's immune system attacks their connective tissues around the body and causes them to produce too much collagen. Too much collagen in the skin and other connective tissues can cause the inappropriate formation of scarring on the affected organ or tissue. Scleroderma can be localized, only affecting the tissues of their skin, or it can be systemic and affect numerous organ systems in their body. The most common findings in an individual affected by scleroderma include thickening of the skin, blood vessel disease, spontaneous scarring, and varying degrees and instances of inflammation. It is thought that dermatomyositis is associated with scleroderma because of the similarities in the makeup of the cells attacked by the immune system in both conditions.

Cancer

An individual with dermatomyositis is more likely to develop cancer than someone not affected by the condition. Cancer is a condition in which a mass of cells grow too quickly and multiply more rapidly than healthy cells. These cancerous cells are of no benefit to the body, causing damage and overcrowding in healthy tissues. Cancer develops when there is a problem with the DNA of a cell where it malfunctions and tells the cell to grow and divide out of control. Any mechanism that causes cellular damage or a high cell turnover rate in the body causes an individual to be at an increased risk of developing cancer. Dermatomyositis patients have a high cell turnover rate in their muscle tissues because of the damage caused by their overactive immune system. The high cell turnover rate in the tissues of an affected individual provides more opportunity for a cellular mutation to occur that initiates the formation of cancer in the affected connective tissues.