Polymyositis is a treatable and curable disease. Unfortunately, patients with polymyositis are still frequently diagnosed as having muscular dystrophy. It is important to have a high index of suspicion of polymyositis, and to recognize that the detailed symptoms and signs and the overall picture are different from the relatively clear-cut pattern of the muscular dystrophies. Treatment of polymyositis is rewarding, although it frequently requires considerable resilience from both patient and doctor to achieve the best results. A detailed search for an underlying aetiology should be made, and a carcinoma should be suspected in elderly patients and those with dermatomyositis. In patients in whom polymyositis is related to a carcinoma, the latter may be at a stage where total excision is possible.
多发性肌炎是一种可治疗且可治愈的疾病。不幸的是，多发性肌炎患者仍常被误诊为患有肌肉萎缩症。高度怀疑多发性肌炎并认识到其详细的症状、体征及整体表现与相对明确的肌肉萎缩症模式不同很重要。治疗多发性肌炎是有成效的，尽管通常需要患者和医生都具备相当的适应能力才能取得最佳效果。应详细查找潜在病因，对于老年患者及皮肌炎患者应怀疑有癌症。在多发性肌炎与癌症相关的患者中，后者可能处于可完全切除的阶段。
