In some patients with Dermatomyositis, they find themselves have slowed speed of digestion. Actually, it is a manifestation of muscle damage caused by Dermatomyositis. In addition, the patients have other symptoms associated with muscle or skin injury, such as skin rash, hoarseness, regurgitation, etc.
Can Dermatomyositis affect muscles that control digestion?
Dermatomyositis is an autoimmune disease that typically damages skin and muscles, with variable involvement of joints, lungs, etc. Symptoms of skin damage mainly include purple spots in the face, neck, upper chest, changed skin color, calcium deposition under the skin, chronic skin ulcer, etc.
Usually, Dermatomyositis firstly attacks shoulder girdle muscle, proximal striated muscles, pharynx, throat or esophageal muscles. Due to inability of throat muscle or lingualis, the patients may experience difficulty swallowing. Involved damage to smooth muscles in the esophagus and digestive tract can extend gastric emptying time, thus leading to symptoms such as abdominal distension, nausea, sour regurgitation, heartburn, etc. Occasionally, the patients may experience gastrointestinal perforation or bleeding.
In some cases, Dermatomyositis may cause severe muscle diseases, such as heart failure, diplopia, muscle cramp, hardened skin, myasthenia gravis, etc.
Considerations
As we can find from the above, Dermatomyositis can cause varying diseases that affect the health and normal life. Early treatment and prevention is the best solution to prevent deterioration. If you are suffering from slowed digestion or other gastrointestinal tract symptoms caused by Dermatomyositis, don’t hesitate to seek for treatment immediately. For any help needed, you may contact with our free online service.
Advantage of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Dermatomyositis
