A case of dermatomyositis associated with recurrent mediastinal emphysema

Abstract

We have experienced 37-year-old woman with dermatomyositis associated with recurrent spontaneous mediastinal emphysema during prednisolone therapy. She also had intractable ulcers of her finger-tips and elbows. She received moderate dose of prednisolone and intravenous methotrexate without definite clinical improvement. Mediastinal emphysema was progressive and the patient died of cardiac and respiratory failure.
There have been only one paper reporting recurrent mediastinal emphysema in patient with PM/DM. According to the literature, relationship between mediastinal emphysema and dermatomyositis in discuss in this paper.