Affiliations: Department of Child Health, Sultan Qaboos University
Hospital, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Muscat, Oman | Department of Radiology & Molecular Imaging,
Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, College of Medicine and Health Sciences,
Muscat, Oman
Note: [] Correspondence: Dr. Amna AL-Futaisi, Division of Neurology,
Department of Child Health, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, College of
Medicine and Health Sciences, Muscat, Oman. Tel.: +968 95228868; Fax: +968
24141136; E-mail: alfutaisiamna@hotmail.com
Abstract: We report a 10-year-old girl with juvenile dermatomyositis who
presented with generalized anasarca, an unusual initial manifestation, rarely
reported. Anasarca has been linked with severity of the disease activity in
some reports. The patient was treated with pulse methylprednisolone,
methotrexate and intravenous immunoglobulin. Disease activity was completely
controlled within 3 months of therapy. It is crucial for pediatricians to
recognize generalized edema as a presenting feature of juvenile dermatomyositis
in the absence of the other clinical and laboratory features of other common
causes of anasarca. We advocate early diagnosis and prompt aggressive treatment
to decrease morbidity.
