TY - JOUR T1 - Dermatomyositis During Adalimumab Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 1549 LP - 1550 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.091413 VL - 37 IS - 7 AU - ALEXANDRA MARIA GIOVANNA BRUNASSO AU - GIOVANNI LO SCOCCO AU - CESARE MASSONE Y1 - 2010/07/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/37/7/1549.abstract N2 - To the Editor:Autoimmune syndromes with cutaneous and systemic manifestations including dermatomyositis (DM) may occur in patients receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (anti-TNF-α) therapies. We describe a patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) successfully treated with adalimumab who developed DM.A 45-year-old women was seen for dermatologic consultation because of onset of erythematous lesions on the dorsum of the hands, associated with intense fatigue and symmetric joint pain on the hands and feet. She had a 13-year history of a severe, erosive form of RA, associated with positive rheumatoid factor, joint swelling, and deformations. She had received numerous therapies including sulfasalazine, gold salts, and methotrexate, with poor response. In 2001 she received 6 infusions of infliximab 5 mg/kg/day, with no response. At March 2003, screening tests including antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-DNA antibodies were negative, and she started continuous therapy with adalimumab 40 mg subcutaneously every 2 weeks, with excellent response. In October 2007 she described a 4-week history of persistent, erythematous-violaceous lesions on the dorsum of the … Address correspondence to Dr. Brunasso; E-mail: giovanna.brunasso{at}gmail.com ER -