Clinically Amyopathic Dermatomyositis with Interstitial Pneumonia That Was Successfully Treated with Plasma Exchange

Patients with clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM), a subset of dermatomyositis characterized by a lack of muscle involvement, frequently develop rapidly progressive and treatment-resistant interstitial lung disease. We report the case of a 49-year-old man who was diagnosed with CADM. He developed interstitial pneumonia, which did not respond to combination therapy with methylprednisolone pulse therapy, cyclophosphamide, and cyclosporine. We therefore attempted plasma exchange. After 7 courses of therapeutic plasma exchange, the interstitial pneumonia gradually improved. This case suggests that plasma exchange might be an effective therapeutic option for patients with progressive interstitial lung disease in steroid- and immunosuppressive therapy-refractive CADM.