The aim of this study was to explore without a priori hypotheses, whether myositis-specific autoantibodies (MSAs) are associated with distinct clinical-pathological changes and severity in a monocentric juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) cohort. Clinical, biological and histological findings from 23 JDM patients were assessed. Twenty-six histopathological parameters were subjected to multivariate analysis. The results show that marked muscle ischaemic involvement and the presence of anti-NXP2 autoantibodies are associated with more severe forms of JDM.
