Laryngeal Complications of Dermatomyositis: A Case Report and Comprehensive Review of the Literature.

Dermatomyositis is an immune-mediated inflammatory myopathy characterized by progressive proximal muscle weakness with sparing of distal muscles, accompanied by cutaneous manifestations. Laryngeal involvement in patients with dermatomyositis is extremely rare, with only seven cases described in the literature. We report the case of a 21-year-old man with dermatomyositis who presented with dysphonia, breathiness, and asthenia with a voice handicap index-10 score of 24/40. Laryngeal examination showed whitish mucosal patches on the upper surface of both vocal folds with bowing of the vocal folds. Video-stroboscopy revealed incomplete closure of the vocal folds during phonation, a decrease in vocal fold vibration amplitude, and diminished mucosal waves. One month after therapy with mycophenolate mofetil, the patient's voice quality improved and his VHI-10 score decreased to 16/40.