Methotrexate Treatment in Dermatomyositis

Two patients with dermatomyositis were treated with methotrexate, given intravenously. They were unresponsive to corticosteroids. The patients were bedridden and paralysed and one seemed to be in the terminal phase of the disease. The response to courses of methotrexate treatment was satisfactory and sustained over a 2-year follow-up period; muscle enzyme studies indicate that the muscle disease is no longer active. Although steroid therapy alone may be effective, its usefulness is unpredictable and may lead to dependence and undesirable side effects. Our experience with these two patients suggests that a combination of the two drugs may be justified as initial treatment in severe cases.