Cutaneous lesions of dermatomyositis are improved by hydroxychloroquine

Dermatomyositis (DM) is a collagen vascular disease with prominent cutaneous findings. Although the myositis often responds to therapy with corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressives, the cutaneous disease may not respond. Seven patients with cutaneous lesions of DM that had not responded to therapy were treated with hydroxychloroquine in an open study. Three patients had idiopathic DM, one had DM without myositis, one had DM with malignancy, and one had adolescent DM. The response to the addition of hydroxychloroquine was good in all of the patients, and three had total resolution of their skin lesions. In two patients the corticosteroid dosage could be tapered. Therapy with hydroxychloroquine did not appear to have any beneficial effect on the myositis. We conclude that hydroxychloroquine may have a role as an adjuvant to the therapy of patients with cutaneous lesions of DM.