Juvenile dermatomyositis
Treatment for JDM
Early and appropriate treatment will improve the prognosis of patients with juvenile dermatomyositis, reducing the risk of complications.
A complete diagnostic work-up that evaluates all organs potentially at risk of involvement in JDM will allow the most appropriate treatment to be chosen for each patient. Furthermore, this assessment should be carried out on a regular basis, as the goal of treatment is to achieve complete remission of the disease. If, after the appropriate time for each drug, the target goal is not achieved or inflammation appears in previously unaffected organs, immunosuppressive treatment should be adjusted.
The treatment of patients with JDM should be carried out in centres with paediatric rheumatology units where multidisciplinary management can be performed according to the European recommendations Single Hub and Access point for paediatric Rheumatology in Europe (SHARE). The SHARE project arose from the need to homogenise the care of paediatric patients with rheumatic diseases. These recommendations include, among others, the criteria for urgent referral to a specialised centre, the complementary tests recommended in the baseline study of all patients with JDM and the recommendations for immunosuppressive treatment.
The following is a description of the most commonly used immunosuppressive therapies in the treatment of this disease.