Nurse Hélène Janin explains in a comic strip what juvenile dermatomyositis is.
- Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is an early form of dermatomyositis (DM) that develops in adults.
- It is characterized by proximal muscle weakness, symmetrical muscle weakness, suggestive skin lesions, and systemic manifestations.
- In order to raise awareness of this rare disease, nurse Hélène Janin has created a comic strip on this theme.
In a beautiful comic strip entitled “Doudou, ready for adventure?!”the nurse at the Montpellier University Hospital Hélène Janin raises awareness of juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM).
“This comic strip was designed in a fun way to help children and adults better understand juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM)”explains Hélène Janin. “It features a young boy named Louis who discusses with his teddy bear the symptoms that the disease causes him”, she adds.
“This staging allows children to put themselves in Louis’ shoes, with the aim of helping them understand the illness that affects them,” she continues. “« Doudou, ready for adventure? » received support from FAI2R (rare autoimmune and autoinflammatory disease health sector)”, she specifies.
What are the symptoms of juvenile dermatomyositis?
Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is an early form of dermatomyositis (DM) that develops in adults. “It is a systemic inflammatory and autoimmune muscle disease with vasculopathy. It is characterized by proximal muscle weakness, symmetrical muscle weakness, suggestive skin lesions and systemic manifestations.”explains Hélène Janin.
“Vasculopathy manifests itself by skin and muscle involvement, mainly in the perifascicular area or sometimes in the intestinal tissue,” continues the nurse.
Can juvenile dermatomyositis be cured?
Generally effective, the goal of treatment for juvenile dermatomyositis is to reduce long-term morbidity and restore physical function. “In this context, physiotherapy is important to preserve or restore muscle strength,” specifies Hélène Janin.
JDM appears on average between the ages of 5 and 14 years. Its course is very variable: 30 to 50% of patients are in remission within two to three years, while others experience a cyclical course marked by relapses, ulcerative progression or chronic progression.
The prognosis for juvenile dermatomyositis depends on: the HAS :
– the extent and nature of the muscular damage (swallowing problems, cardiac damage) ;
– associated pulmonary damage (more common in adults than in children) ;
– associated digestive vasculopathy (mainly in children) ;
– associated malignant pathology in cases of paraneoplastic DM (occurring almost exclusively in adults) ;
– the risk of infection.
