Case Report

Development of Polymyositis After Long-Standing Rheumatoid Arthritis

SHERRY ROHEKAR and LAURENCE RUBIN

ABSTRACT.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and polymyositis (PM) are distinct clinical syndromes. The concurrent diagnoses of RA and PM in the same patient are rare. We describe a patient who developed outright PM after 16 years of well established RA, review the literature, and highlight the need to consider a broad base of differentials including PM in the diagnosis of muscle weakness in RA. (J Rheumatol 2006;33:362-3)

Key Indexing Terms:

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
POLYMYOSITIS

---

From the Department of Rheumatology, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

S. Rohekar, BSc, MD, Rheumatology Fellow, University of Toronto; L. Rubin, MD, FRCPC, Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto.

Address reprint requests to Dr. L. Rubin, St. Michael's Hospital, 3-002 Shuter Wing, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W8.

Accepted for publication July 25, 2005.

---