A case of amyopathic dermatomyositis complicated with acute respiratory failure

A 50-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of skin eruptions on the face, extremities and acute respiratory failure. Characteristic skin lesions with neither muscle symptoms nor elevated CPK prompted a diagnosis of amyopathic dermatomyositis complicated with interstitial pneumonia. Although she received corticosteroid with immunosuppressant, she died of respiratory failure due to the progression of interstitial pneumonia, just three months after the onset of skin eruption. Autopsy demonstrated diffuse alveolar damage in the lung. Clinical evaluation of amyopathic dermatomyositis cases in Japan is also performed.