The Characteristics and Risk Factors of Cytomegalovirus Infection in Dermatomyositis

To investigate the characteristics and risk factors of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and explore whether CMV infection plays a role in the prognosis of patients with DM. The retrospective reviewed patients with DM admitted to the hospital from October 2017 to June 2022 and the enrolled patients who were assessed for CMV infection. The clinical characteristics and prognosis of the patients with CMV infection were compared to those without CMV. Of the 181 patients with DM, 53 (29.2%) suffered from CMV infection. The prevalence of CMV infection in the anti-MDA5( +) DM group was higher than it was in the anti-MDA5(-) DM group (38.7% vs. 16.0%, P = 0.001). Multivariate analyses demonstrated that the ILD (OR 5.11, 95% CI 1.74-15.26, P = 0.003), other infections (OR 6.24, 95% CI 1.63-23.89, P = 0.007), the cumulative dose of glucocorticoids (OR 5.19, 95% CI 2.44-11.02, P < 0.001), usage of CTX (OR 8.49, 95% CI 2.28-31.54, P = 0.001), ALB <= 30 g/L (OR 3.19, 95% CI 1.03-9.85, P = 0.043) were independent risk factors for CMV infection in patients with DM. Patients in the CMV-infection group showed significantly higher incidences of other infections than those in the CMV-infection-negative group. Higher mortality was observed in the CMV infection group than in the without CMV infection group. CMV infection occurred in patients with DM frequently and was found to be relevant to death. The cumulative dose of glucocorticoids, ILD, useage of CTX, hypoproteinemia, and other infections were contributing factors in the development of CMV infection in patieents with DM.