dermatomyositis

Term: dermatomyositis

Origin: Anc Greek

δέρμα/derma (=skin beneath the epidermis with genitive case=δέρματος/dermatos)

Ø     δεσμά/desma(=bonds) because skin keeps the body tight > δέρω/dero(=to peel, to flay)

+μυο-/myo-(=compining form for muscle) >μυς/mys/ (=muscle) > μύω/myo(=enclosed like the muscle inside body or rat in its nest=epimys)

+(-ίτις)(modern Greek -ίτιδα)/-ites (=feminine suffix which is used with the feminine noun η νόσος/ e nosos/(=disease), denoting “inflammation of”.

Coined

Heinrich Unverricht (1853-1912)

From 1887-1891, German Heinrich Unverricht (1853 -1912) described dermatomyositis in a series of papers and finally in  in 1891 used the term for first time.

Definition:

Dermatomyositis is a systemic and inflammatory disease that is characterized mainly by inflammation of the muscles and the skin. Dermatomyositiw although is considered as the result of a viral infection or autoimmune disease is reffered as idiopathic disease.