Dermatomyositis: A Pediatric Autoimmune Disease with Alarming Symptoms (Podcast Tuesday)

Muscle weakness. Trouble swallowing. A strange rash. Sometimes, parents take their kids from one doctor to another, trying to find the cause of these symptoms.

It might be dermatomyositis, an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the blood vessels under the skin and muscles.

There’s no cure for it, and if untreated, children can start having trouble breathing and swallowing. But treatment reduces the symptoms and allows these kids to live normal lives.

In this week’s podcast, pediatric rheumatologist Aarat Patel explains how his team treats this pediatric autoimmune disease.