Cyclosporin-A ameliorated interstitial pneumonitis in a patient with amyopathic dermatomyositis.

Abstract A 40-year-old woman with amyopathic dermatomyositis (ADM) developed acute pneumonitis. Despite pulse methylprednisolone therapy, the pneumonitis worsened. We therefore initiated cyclosporin-A (Cy-A) therapy with success, although Pneumocystis carinii (PC) pneumonia occurred. Coexistence of dermatomyositis (DM)-related pneumonitis and PC pneumonia was diagnosed by means of chest X-ray findings, KL-6, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for PC. We thus continued Cy-A therapy to ameliorate the pneumonitis. Cy-A appeared to be effective for corticosteroid-resistant pneumonitis in a patient with DM.