Juvenile dermatomyositis in Africa

Background: Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM) is a rare inflammatory myopathy of childhood that occurs in all racial groups and regions of the world. However, it has rarely been reported from Africa. Understanding the epidemiology and treatment outcomes of this disease in children is important for better planning of appropriate diagnostic and treatment interventions. Objective: To describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with JDM from Africa and highlight some challenges to their management. Data source: Published articles in Medline and Scopus data bases including case reports and case series on juvenile dermatomyositis from African countries. Data synthesis: Forty four cases were identified from 13 studies: 29 females and 11 males. The sex of four of the patients could not be determined from the available information. Their racial distribution was 29 blacks and 15 others or unknown ancestries. Six of the patients died (13.6%) from respiratory failure, sepsis and severe myocardial disease. Conclusion: Few case reports of JDM have been published from Africa though the relative paucity of published case reports is probably the result of underreporting. Mortality seemed to be higher among reported cases of JDM from Africa compared to those from other regions. Challenges to patient care include inadequate access to essential diagnostics and drugs; as well as inadequate skilled human resource. Key words: Juvenile dermatomyositis, Afric