Peculiarities of dermatomyositis (DM) in early age.

The peculiarities of beginning of disease, clinical factors of risk in 70 children (aged under 8) with dermatomyositis are discussed. We have followed up 70 children (40 girls and 30 boys) with dermatomyositis at the age of 14 months to the age of 8 years. Most of the children were born in normal time, they have normal life functions during the first year of life. The most frequent intercurrent diseases were respiratory infections, angina; the chicken-pox was frequent too. 12 children had food allergy and 20 children-drug allergy. The most frequent factors preceded dermatomyositis were respiratory diseases and inoculations. Assembling of genealogical anamnesis was made according to "family portrait". 14 families of children with dermatomyositis (369 relations in I-IV degree of relationship) were examined. Genealogical investigations revealed the high frequency of rheumatological pathology in proband's families. Small anomaly of development among probands (M +/- m = 12.5 +/- 0.6) exceeded these quantity comparing to the control group (n = 60). Dermatollphyics (98 indices on each child) contained a number of peculiarities for forming the group of risk. Onset of disease was acute or subacute in 2/3 of children. Primary chronic onset and the progress of the disease took place in 10 cases. An acute onset of dermatomyositis was characterized by fever, myaglia, arthralgia, bright skin symptoms: widespread purple violet face erythema, a "butterfly wing" or "paraorbital glasses", palmal erythema and widespread vascular manifestations on face, chest, back and limbs in the form of net--"livedo reticularis".