Abstract
Treatment of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) is challenging, because these disorders are rare with heterogeneous clinical manifestations and incompletely understood aetiopathogenesis. There have been only a few randomized controlled clinical trials (RCT), often involving small numbers of patients; therefore treatment strategies are mostly empirical.
Management of IIMs should be multidisciplinary and tailored to disease activity and clinical phenotype of a given patient. The goal is to improve muscle strength and to supress extramuscular manifestations of the disease, while minimizing the risk of complications.
Pharmacotherapy is the cornerstone of disease management, with the exception of sIBM, which is typically treatment resistant. Exercise is recommended from early disease stages.
Side effects of treatment should be carefully monitored.