Familial dermatomyositis

A case of familial dermatomyositis (DM) is reported in a 27-yr-old mother and her daughter aged 2 yr and 8 months. Familial DM is a rare occurrence and has never been reported in a child of < 4 yr old, although isolated cases of DM have been found in infants as young as 1 yr. The mother responded readily to corticosteroids; however, the child proved resistant to steroids and was eventually successfully managed on a combination of methotrexate and prednisolone. Another daughter presented with the dermatological stigmata of DM, but with no evidence of muscle involvement.