Laboratory tests showed the following: white cell count of 7,600/ mm3 and hemoglobin of10.7 g/dl,
platelets count of 210,000/ mm3. Other laboratory values revealed a sedimentation rate of 74 mm/hr
and CRP 13.59 mg/dL. Liver function tests, renal tests, electrolytes and Thyroid test were normal range.
CPK was elevated 1433 IU/l. Hepatitis serologies, HIV serology, Urine culture and Blood cultures were all
negative.
Patient had an echocardiogram and US Doppler of lower extremities which were reported as normal.
She had a CT Abdomen was normal. Her colonoscopy was found in endoscopic remission. Autoimmune
serologies including myositis antibody panel were positive.
Electromyography of the quadriceps and deltoid muscles revealed abundant low-amplitude and short-
duration potentials indicating a myopathy, no electrical findings of myasthenia gravis.
Left lower leg muscle biopsy showed fragments of the presence of macrophages and activated
lymphocytes cells in muscle fibers with mononuclear cell invasion around non-necrotic muscle fibers in
endomysial areas without vacuolated, necrotic and regenerating fibers,
During the course of her hospitalization, she was started on prednisone (1 mg/kg/day) for 4 to 8 weeks
which dramatically improved her symptoms, followed by slow taper to low dose prednisone (5 to 10 mg)
over 6 months, and subsequent attempt to wean off prednisone by 12 months, Her treatment be
combined with azathioprine (2 mg/kg/day) to reduce the side effects of the glucocorticoid and to boost
the immunosuppressive effect. She was followed up by us and her disease was in remission for one year.
3. Discussion
UC is a chronic systemic inflammatory condition primarily involving the mucosa of the colon associated
with relapsing and remitting episodes. It is also associated with multiple extra-intestinal manifestations
with prevalence of approximately 25% during the course of the disease [1, 2]. Polymyositis is a
particularly rare EIM of UC. The earliest case of myositis associated with UC was reported by Oshitani et
al [5].
Review of the literature shows only a few cases describing an association of ulcerative colitis and
inflammatory myositis [1, 4], most of them during the acute relapse of the disease but activity of bowel
disease does not seem to be essential for occurrence or progression of myositis [2]. In addition, the
interval from diagnosis of IBD and occurrence of myositis was considered, it was found that the majority
of patients developed myositis 5 years after the onset of IBD as our report, also sometimes it can be
more than 10 years [3].
We report a case of polymyositis according to criteria of Bohan and Peter, in a young patient who was
in remission from UC on long-term with mesalamine. The diagnosis of myositis is usually based on the
presence of symptoms typical of the disease and positivity of two out of three assessments: muscular
histology, EMG and serum markers of myolysis such as CPK, LDH. Some authors have highlighted the
usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [3].