Manchester BRC musculoskeletal researchers publish ‘ground-breaking’ national guidelines for myositis
Researchers from Manchester BRC’s Musculoskeletal (MSK) Theme have published the first guidelines on the care and treatment of patients with the rare autoimmune condition, myositis.
Myositis is a group of rare conditions which can affect people of any age, and causes the muscles to become weak, tired, and painful. It is a life-long condition caused by the immune system attacking healthy tissue, which causes inflammation in the muscles.
Dr Alexander Oldroyd (left) and Professor Hector Chinoy (right)
Co-led by the MSK Theme’s Dr Alexander Oldroyd and Professor Hector Chinoy, in collaboration with the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) and colleagues from The University of Manchester (UoM), the new guidance aims to address a lack of awareness of the condition.
For the first time, it provides healthcare professionals and multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) with the latest evidence-based recommendations for the treatment and management of the idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM, a broad class of conditions which includes myositis) in paediatric, adolescent and adult patients, including:
- medicines and treatment options
- treatment for patients during pregnancy and breastfeeding
- fracture risk assessment
- screening for cardiac issues, cancer and dysphagia
- considerations relating to quality of life.
Dr Alexander Oldroyd, who is also an Academic Clinical Lecturer at UoM, said:
No rigorously produced guidelines for myositis spanning juvenile and adult-onset disease exist. This new ground-breaking guideline will provide a standard of care for patients across the UK.
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Professor Hector Chinoy is also a Professor of Rheumatology and Neuromuscular Disease at UoM, and Consultant Rheumatologist at Salford Royal Hospital (part of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust). He said:
Importantly, this guideline addresses management of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy across all ages, removing barriers that exist between paediatric and adult clinicians.
Both Dr Oldroyd and Professor Chinoy are members of the Manchester Myositis Research Group, alongside other colleagues from UoM. The guidance was developed by an expert working group comprising of members across the MDT.
Dr James Lilleker, UoM Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer, also co-produced the guideline. He said: “We bought together both adult and paediatric rheumatologists, along with neurologists, a nurse, a pharmacist, dermatologists and physiotherapists to ensure the guideline was comprehensive and evidence based. We also worked with patients and relatives throughout the process.”
Dr Liza McCann, Consultant in Paediatric Rheumatology at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, and co-lead of the BSR’s myositis guideline group, added: “The new guideline highlights the importance of exercise, led and monitored by specialist physiotherapists and occupational therapists, as well as the need to address psychological wellbeing as an integral part of treatment, in parallel with pharmacological therapies.
“It also shows gaps in evidence and areas for future research across all age groups.’’