About Myositis

Myositis is a disease that makes your immune system attack your muscles. It causes chronic inflammation – swelling that comes and goes over a long time.

The disease is highly variable and has been classified into a number of forms, including:

Antisynthetase syndrome (ASyS)
Dermatomyositis (DM)
Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM)
Inclusion body myositis (IBM)
Juvenile forms of myositis (JM)
Polymyositis (PM)

Myositis is a rare disease, so it is also difficult to conduct adequate research to test new treatments. There is a lot of confusion among the medical community over how to effectively manage patients with myositis. Nevertheless, myositis is a serious illness that, in most cases, needs to be treated aggressively. With inadequate or no treatment, myositis can cause significant disability and even death. There is no cure for any of the forms of myositis.

TMA provides support to patients & myositis community members through:

Education – Annual patient conference (MyoCon) and TMA publications.

Research – TMA provides funding to emerging and established researchers who are seeking answers to the mysteries surrounding myositis. TMA is committed to continuing its research program to increase understanding, find better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.

Support – Support groups offer members the chance to share their feelings and discuss their concerns with people in similar situations. These groups encourage an atmosphere of communication and compassion.

Advocacy – Public recognition of myositis, increased research funding, greater access to care, and better coverage and reimbursement for treatments—TMA gives you the tools to make a difference.