Table 4 Disease course in surviving patients with follow‐up of at least 2 years (n = 104).
| Monocyclic | Polycyclic or chronic continuous | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | 21 | 83 |
| Mean age in years (SD) | 42 (19) | 42 (14) |
| Women, n (%) | 15 (71) | 64 (77) |
| Diagnosis | ||
| Polymyositis (%) | 0 (0) | 5 (6) |
| Dermatomyositis (%) | 10 (48) | 29 (35) |
| Unspecified myositis (%) | 5 (24) | 34 (41) |
| Possible myositis (%) | 6 (29) | 15 (18) |
| MSAs present (%)* | 7 (41) | 3 (41) |
MSA, myositis‐specific autoantibodies; polymyositis, myositis defined by endomysial cell infiltrates; unspecified myositis, clinical polymyositis; with perimysial and perivascular cell infiltrates; possible myositis, clinical polymyositis with necrotising myopathy.
*Myositis‐specific antibodies determined in 92 patients.