Skin involvement in juvenile dermatomyositis is associated with loss of end row nailfold capillary loops.

Abstract

End row capillary loss measured by NFC was associated with the dermatological, but not musculoskeletal manifestations of JDM, suggesting that damage to skin and muscle may each have distinct disease pathophysiology. In JDM, skin involvement indicates a vasculopathy that progresses with increasing duration of untreated disease and is not revealed by standard serological laboratory tests. We propose that the cutaneous manifestations of JDM are associated with vascular disease and warrant aggressive therapy.