Pulmonary & Respiratory Medicine

Serological Biomarkers of Dermatomyositis – Associated Interstitial Lung Disease

Abstract

Xining Liao, Yuan Liu, Yuechi Sun, Shiju Chen and Guixiu Shi

Dermatomyositis (DM) is a subset of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) which is characterized by chronic inflammation of skin and muscle weakness, and often involving other organs, such as skin, heart, gastrointestinal tract, pulmonary, and joints. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is the most common internal organ manifestation that affects the prognosis of DM patients. The mortality is very high in DM-ILD patients especially in those with rapid ILD due to the lack of effective treatment. An early diagnosis of ILD in DM patients is critical important. In recent years, many studies focused on detecting serological biomarkers that can be used in prediction and evaluation of DM-ILD. Here we reviewed recent studies about serological biomarkers of DM-ILD. An overview of those biomarkers may help us have a better management of DM-ILD and may give us a better understanding about the pathogenesis of DM-ILD.