How does the doctor diagnose polymyositis?
• How is polymyositis treated? • Polymyositis At A Glance • Patient Discussions: Polymyositis – Effective Treatments • Polymyositis Glossary • Polymyositis Index How does the doctor diagnose polymyositis? When a patient first sees the doctor, the recent symptoms especially concerning weakness will be discussed. The condition of many other body areas might be reviewed, for example, the skin, heart, lungs, and joints. An examination will further focus on these and other systems. Various measures of strength might be noted. Blood testing usually (but not always) reveals abnormally high levels of muscle enzymes, CPK or creatinine phosphokinase, aldolase, SGOT, SGPT, and LDH. These enzymes are released into the blood by muscle that is being damaged by inflammation. They can also be used as measures of the activity of the inflammation. Other routine blood and urine tests can also look for internal organ abnormalities. Chest X-rays, mammograms, PAP smears, and other screening tests might be c
