Study of subcutaneous fat in children with juvenile dermatomyositis

Abstract

Sixty-five percent of our patients with juvenile DM were found to have loss of subcutaneous fat on quantification compared with 40% on physical appearance alone. Maximum fat loss occurred at the mid-axillary skinfold site. A significant number of patients with juvenile DM (66%) had hypertriglyceridemia. We hypothesize that lipodystrophy and hypertriglyceridemia could well be integral components of what may be an expanded juvenile DM syndrome.