Polymyositis/dermatomyositis is a potential risk factor for acute respiratory failure: a pulmonary heart disease

Abstract

Polymyositis and dermatomyositis (PM/DM) are systemic inflammatory myopathies frequently associated with cardiopulmonary involvement. Using a nationwide population-based cohort from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, this study evaluated the risk of acute respiratory failure (ARF) among patients with PM/DM. A total of 1,374 newly diagnosed PM/DM patients were compared with 13,740 matched controls without PM/DM and followed until 2011. The adjusted hazard ratio for ARF was significantly increased in the PM/DM cohort (HR 5.05), independent of age, sex, comorbidities, Charlson comorbidity index score, and medication use. The presence of cardiopulmonary comorbidities such as hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary vascular disease exerted additive effects on ARF risk. These findings support a pathophysiological interaction between cardiac and pulmonary involvement in PM/DM and highlight PM/DM as an independent risk factor for acute respiratory failure.