Living with Juvenile polymyositis
A childhood condition in which muscles become inflamed and weak for reasons that are not known.
Understanding Juvenile polymyositis
It is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy, which means the muscles are inflamed and the cause is not known. It starts in childhood or the teen years.
Signs & symptoms
Symptoms vary from person to person. GARD's summary describes this main feature:
- Muscle weakness
Not everyone has every symptom. GARD's list comes from the Human Phenotype Ontology.
Diagnosis
- 1Talk with your doctor
Share the symptoms you've noticed, when they started and your family health history. Notes and photos can help.
- 2See a specialist
Specialists who may be involved include autoimmune and inflammatory disease specialists, brain and nervous system specialists, kidney specialists and lung and breathing specialists.
- 3Ask which tests can help
Your care team will decide which exams and tests can confirm the diagnosis.
- 4Connect with expert centers
Cure JM Foundation may keep lists of experts for this condition.
Care & treatment
- Care team
- autoimmune and inflammatory disease specialists (rheumatologists); Brain and nervous system specialists (neurologists); Kidney specialists (nephrologists); Lung and breathing specialists (pulmonologists)
- Expert care
- Expert lists: Cure JM Foundation
- Treatment
- GARD doesn't list specific treatments for this condition. Your care team will tailor care to your symptoms.
- Research
- Clinical trials and observational studies may be options. See the research section below.
General information, not medical advice. Your care team makes the decisions.
Everyday life
Living with a rare condition is easier with support.
- Connect with Cure JM Foundation and other patient organizations
- Keep notes on symptoms, changes and questions for appointments
- Ask about patient registries that help research
- Look into financial aid and travel resources for care visits
Quick facts
The cause is not known, which is what the word "idiopathic" means.
Also known as: jpm; juvenile pm
Patient organizations
- Cure JM FoundationJuvenile polymyositis · United States
- Arthritis FoundationJuvenile polymyositis · United States
- National Kidney FoundationKidney diseases · United States
- Renal Support NetworkKidney diseases · United States
You are more than your diagnosis
Perspectives from people navigating life with Juvenile polymyositis.
Explore research for Juvenile polymyositis
Explore actively recruiting Juvenile polymyositis studies with HealthSpark.
Find actively recruiting studies for Juvenile polymyositis with HealthSpark. Share your city to explore research near you.
- Recruiting studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
- Share your city to look for research near you
- Eligibility is confirmed by the study team
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Powered by HealthSpark, our AI chat helper · Study information from ClinicalTrials.gov · Eligibility is confirmed by the study team.
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