Abstract
BackgroundJuvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a rare and sometimes fatal disease in children. The anti-NXP2 antibody is one of the most common antibodies and muscle ischaemia associated with NXP2 autoantibodies was a severe subtype of JDM. Further information is needed regarding clinical characteristics and factors associated with poor prognosis. But there are no reports about clinical characteristics and high risk factor of poor prognosis. For the first time, we introduced the clinical characteristics and poor predictors of anti-NXP2 antibody-associated juvenile dermatomyositis in Chinese children.MethodsTwenty-six patients with anti-NXP2 antibody-related JDM from 85 JDM Chinese patients were diagnosed from January 2016 to November 2019. Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for refractory cases and mortality.ResultsThe ratio of male to female was 1:1.9. The median age of onset was 4.5 (1–13) years. Twenty-four cases (92.3%) had rash and muscle weakness. Treatments included glucocorticoids, immunosuppressive agents, biological agents (7 cases), plasma exchange, Janus kinase inhibitor (7 cases) and autologous stem cell transplant (1 case). Refractory JDM patients (11/26, 42.3%) were associated with edema, skin ulcer, muscle strength<=grade 3, CD4/CD8 ratio < 1.4 and ferritin > 200μg/ml. Among 6 cases (6/26, 23.1%) with severe gastrointestinal involvement, 5 cases died and 1 case survived after autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). The risk factors for gastrointestinal involvement and mortality were edema, skin ulcer, severe muscle weakness (dysphagia/ hoarseness/ soft voice), BMI < 15 and ANA positive.ConclusionsEdema, skin ulcer and severe muscle weakness predicted refractory disease, GI involvement, and mortality in anti-NXP2 antibody-positive JDM of Chinese children. Decreased CD4/CD8 ratio and high ferritin related with refractory cases, and very low BMI and ANA (+) are probably, associated with gastrointestinal involvement and mortality.Trial registrationhttp://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=49846.
Highlights
Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a rare and sometimes fatal disease in children
Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a pediatric-onset idiopathic inflammatory myopathy associated with autoimmune vasculopathy, mainly characterized by proximal muscle weakness and typical rash [1]
China has a huge population of children, while there are few reports on the incidence and clinical features of JDM in Chinese children
Summary
Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a rare and sometimes fatal disease in children. Further information is needed regarding clinical characteristics and factors associated with poor prognosis. There are no reports about clinical characteristics and high risk factor of poor prognosis. We introduced the clinical characteristics and poor predictors of anti-NXP2 antibody-associated juvenile dermatomyositis in Chinese children. China has a huge population of children, while there are few reports on the incidence and clinical features of JDM in Chinese children. It is reported that anti-NXP2 antibody, might be one of the most common MSA groups in JDM which has been reported to have poor outcomes [4, 5]. Some case reports suggested that gastrointestinal involvement was a serious complication in anti-NXP2 antibody-related JDM [5, 6]
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