Is juvenile dermatomyositis a different disease in children up to three years of age at onset than in children above three years at onset? A retrospective review of 23 years of a single center’s experience

Table 2 JDM features at diagnosis

Disease features	3 years of age and below at onset n = 19	Above 3 years of age at onset n = 59	Total patients	p-value
Preceding fever	14 (73%)	21 (35%)	78	0.029
Other systemic symptoms*	5 (26%)	14 (23%)	78	0.82
No heliotrope Rash	7 (36%)	8 (13%)	78	0.04
No Gottron’s papules	9 (47%)	4 (6.8%)	78	0.049
No rash at all	4 (21%)	2 (3%)	78	0.039
No Capillary Loop abnormality	12 (63%)	5 (8%)	78	0.010
Swallowing difficulties	3 (15%)	7 (11%)	78	0.66
Raynaud’s phenomenon	1 (5%)	5 (8.4%)	78	0.048
Family history of Autoimmune disorders	15 (80%)	26 (44%)	78	0.012

* Recurrent troublesome abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, shortness of breath, tachycardia, syncope, swallowing difficulties, nasal regurgitation, central nervous system symptoms.
{Swallowing difficulties = 3/19 in younger group, 5/59 in older age group.
Shortness of breath/ tachycardia/ syncope = 2/19 in younger group, 10/59 in older age group.
Abdominal pain/bloody diarrhea/nasal regurgitation = 4/19 in younger group, 10/59 in older age group.
Symptoms involving central nervous system = 1/19 in younger group, 2/59 in older age group.
Generally patients had more than one type of systemic symptom.}

ISSN: 1546-0096