What is Myositis, the disease Samantha Ruth Prabhu has been diagnosed with? Symptoms, treatment

Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu has revealed she had been diagnosed with an auto-immune condition called Myositis. She said the doctors have expressed confidence that she would make a full recovery. She said the disease remission, however, is taking longer than expected. "The doctors are confident that I will make a complete recovery very soon. I have had good days and bad days... physically and emotionally. And even when it feels like I can`t handle one more day of this, somehow that moment passes. I guess it can only mean that I am one more day closer to recovery. I love you...THIS TOO SHALL PASS," she wrote. What is Myositis? What are its Myositis symptoms?

Myositis is an autoimmune disease. Generally, it is characterized by the inflammation of muscles.  Some types of the disease cause skin rash. 

The most basic symptoms of the disease include fatigue, muscle pain, trouble swallowing, and breathing problems. Women are more vulnerable to the disease than men and it can affect children as well. 

There are five types of myositis: dermatomyositis, inclusion-body myositis, juvenile myositis, polymyositis, and toxic myositis. 

Also read: Yashoda star Samantha Ruth Prabhu opens up about being diagnosed with Myositis, says 'I am still struggling...'

Dermatomyositis causes purple-red rashes that appear on the face, chest, neck and back.  Other symptoms include rough skin, fatigue, weakness in muscles, muscle pain, weight loss, irregular heartbeat etc.

Inclusion-body myositis (IBM) affects more men than women and mostly develops in people aged 50 and above. It affects one side more than the other. Its symptoms include muscle weakness, balance issues, diminished grip, and pain in muscles.

Juvenile myositis (JM) occurs in children. It favours girls more than boys. Its symptoms include red-purple rashes, fatigue, unstable mood, stomach aches, trouble in getting up from a seated position, muscle weakness, join pain, fever etc.

Polymyositis starts with symptoms like muscle weakness. All the muscles close to the trunk are attacked by the disease first. Its symptoms are muscle weakness and pain, swallowing problems, balance issues, dry cough, thickened skin of the hands, breathing problems, weight loss and fever etc.

The fifth type is called Toxic myositis. It is caused by prescribed medicines and illegal drug consumption. Cholesterol medicines like statins cause this. Other medicines that rarely trigger this are omeprazole, adalimumab and cocaine. Its symptoms are common to other types of myositis.

Doctors may use a battery of tests to diagnose this condition and rule out others with similar symptoms.

There is no speicific drug for Myositis. However, a class of medicines called corticosteroids is prescribed by doctors. Since it is an autoimmune disease, immunosuppressant drugs are also used. Physical therapy, yoga, and other forms of exercise are also used to maintain muscle strength.

Note: This article is only for information purposes and isn't medical advice. Consult your doctor for treatment.