Chinese researchers analyzed a series of 79 patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy, distinguishing between those with prolonged fever at the initial stage of their disease and those who remained apyretic:
- in the febrile group, there was a higher frequency of cutaneous signs (mechanic’s hand) and respiratory complications (acute interstitial lung disease), all occurring in patients who were older on average,
- biological markers of inflammation were more frequently present,
- mortality, despite more aggressive therapeutic protocols, was significantly higher in this group.
Fever at the onset of the disease would therefore represent a poor prognostic factor in myositis.
