Most patients respond to medical treatment with corticosteroids and immunosuppressive treatment, but a majority of patients develop sustained muscle impairment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of muscle endurance assessed with the Functional Index-2 (FI-2), muscle strength assessed by the MMT-8 and disease activity assessed by the six item core set at 6 and 12 months following diagnosis in patients with polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM). 72 patients diagnosed with probable or definite PM or DM 2003-2010 who performed the FI-2 and the MMT at the time of diagnosis were included in this Swedish Myositis Register study. All patients had performed both the Functional Index-2 assessing muscle endurance and the Manual Muscle test (MMT) assessing isometric muscle strength. Physician Global assessment based on the evaluation of the consensus recommended six item core set for disease activity assessment was also included. Data were analysed on group levels as well as with criteria for individual responder criteria. A responder was identified as improving at least 20 % compared to baseline.
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Functional Index 2 assessing change in muscle function over time.
Timeframe: 0, 6 and 12 months