Dermatomyositis: an association of gingival telangiectases and anti Jo-1 antibody in the adult.

BACKGROUND

The presence of gingival telangiectases is an unusual clinical finding in adults with dermatomyositis (DM). Patients with aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase autoantibodies express one or more of the following features: myositis, interstitial lung disease, "mechanicns hands", and capillary abnormalities (facial telangiectases and Raynaudns phenomenon).

CASE REPORT: A 45-year-old woman with a classic form of DM of ten yearsn duration was evaluated. Clinical investigation revealed periorbital edema and violaceous erythema of the eyelids, Gottronns papules of the fingers, Gottronns sign on the elbows and malleoli, a plantar fissured, hyperkeratotic, and scaling eruption ("calloused feet"), ragged cuticles with dilated nail-fold telangiectasia, and gingival telangiectases. The patient fulfilled Bohan and Peterns criteria for the clinical, histological, EMG, and biochemical diagnosis of DM. Elevated titers of ANA (1:320) with a speckled pattern and anti Jo-1 antibodies were found in her sera by ELISA and Western blot.

CONCLUSION

The recognition of subsets within the spectrum of DM characterized by certain clinical and serological features may be important. Because facial telangiectases are a recognized finding in this subset of patients, we suggest that gingival telangiectases might be a marker for the antisynthetase syndrome.