Dermatomyositis and pulmonary fibrosis associated with anti-Jo-1 antibody

Although fibrosing alveolitis is a rare complication of dermatomyositis, early detection and treatment are important in preventing pulmonary fibrosis. Anti-Jo-1 antibody, an antibody to the cellular enzyme histidyl-t-RNA synthetase, has been found to correlate closely with the subset of dermatomyositis/polymyositis associated with fibrosing alveolitis. This association is well known to rheumatologists but has received little attention in the dermatologic literature. We wish to alert dermatologists to the importance of the association of anti-Jo-1 antibody in patients with dermatomyositis and present a patient with anti-Jo-1 antibody who had Raynaud's phenomenon and mild arthritis in association with dermatomyositis and pulmonary fibrosis. We suggest screening patients with polymyositis/dermatomyositis for this antibody, to detect the population at high risk of developing pulmonary complications.