ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT00017914Updated Sep 24, 2026

Adult and Juvenile Myositis

An observational study in Dermatomyositis, Polymyositis and Inclusion Body Myositis, sponsored by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Recruiting at 4 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 2 Years to 100 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-24.

Sponsored by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jun 1995; still recruiting 31 years 5 months later.
Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
1,200
Ages
2 Years to 100 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study will evaluate subjects with adult- and childhood-onset myositis to learn more about their cause and the immune system changes and medical problems associated with them. Myositis is an inflammatory muscle disease that can damage muscles and other organs, resulting in significant disability.

Children or adults with polymyositis or dermatomyositis or a related condition may be evaluated under this study. Healthy children or adults will also be enrolled as "controls," for comparison of test results.

All patients will undergo a complete history (including completing some questionnaires) and physical examination, review of medical records, and blood and urine tests. Patients may then choose to participate in an additional 1- to 5-day evaluation, which will include some or all of the following diagnostic, treatment or research procedures:

  1. Standardized muscle strength testing, range of motion of joints and walking (gait) analysis by a physiotherapist; completion of a questionnaire regarding ability to perform daily tasks
  2. Skin assessment, possibly including photographs of lesions and a skin biopsy (removal of a small skin sample under local anesthetic)
  3. Magnetic resonance imaging (scans that use magnetic fields to visualize tissues) of leg muscles
  4. Swallowing studies, including a physical examination and questionnaire on swallowing ability, studies of tongue strength, and ultrasound imaging during swallowing, and possibly, a modified barium swallow
  5. Voice and speech assessment, possibly including computerized voice analysis and laryngoscopy-analysis of the larynx (voice box) using a small rigid scope with a camera placed in the mouth to view and record vocal cord function
  6. Pulmonary function tests (measurement of air moved into and out of the lungs, using a breathing machine) to evaluate lung function and, possibly, chest X-ray
  7. Electrocardiogram (measurement of the electrical activity of the heart) and, possibly, echocardiogram (ultrasound imaging of the heart)
  8. Endocrine evaluation
  9. Eye examination, in patients with vision loss or other eye symptoms
  10. Nutrition assessment to evaluate muscle mass and muscle wasting, including tape measurements or bioelectric impedance testing, a painless procedure in which wires are attached to the extremities with a sticky paste.
  11. Muscle ultrasound.
  12. Electromyography (record of the electrical activity of muscles)
  13. Muscle or skin biopsy (removal of a small piece of muscle tissue for microscopic examination)

All patients may have only a one-time evaluation or may return for one follow-up evaluations (either the 1-day or 3- to 5-day evaluation) over a 1-year period.

Healthy children will undergo a medical history and brief physical examination; blood and urine tests; speech and swallowing studies including questionnaires and physical examination, tongue strength, and ultrasound study; and bioelectric impedance testing. Children 8 to 18 years old may also have exercise testing.

Read the detailed description

This study will evaluate subjects with adult- and childhood-onset myositis to learn more about their cause and the immune system changes and medical problems associated with them. Myositis is an inflammatory muscle disease that can damage muscles and other organs, resulting in significant disability.

Children or adults with polymyositis or dermatomyositis or a related condition may be evaluated under this study. Healthy children or adults will also be enrolled as "controls," for comparison of test results.

All patients will undergo a complete history (including completing some questionnaires) and physical examination, review of medical records, and blood and urine tests. Patients may then choose to participate in an additional 1- to 5-day evaluation, which will include some or all of the following diagnostic, treatment or research procedures:

  1. Standardized muscle strength testing, range of motion of joints and walking (gait) analysis by a physiotherapist; completion of a questionnaire regarding ability to perform daily tasks
  2. Skin assessment, possibly including photographs of lesions and a skin biopsy (removal of a small skin sample under local anesthetic)
  3. Magnetic resonance imaging (scans that use magnetic fields to visualize tissues) of leg muscles
  4. Swallowing studies, including a physical examination and questionnaire on swallowing ability, studies of tongue strength, and ultrasound imaging during swallowing, and possibly, a modified barium swallow
  5. Voice and speech assessment, possibly including computerized voice analysis and laryngoscopy-analysis of the larynx (voice box) using a small rigid scope with a camera placed in the mouth to view and record vocal cord function
  6. Pulmonary function tests (measurement of air moved into and out of the lungs, using a breathing machine) to evaluate lung function and, possibly, chest X-ray
  7. Electrocardiogram (measurement of the electrical activity of the heart) and, possibly, echocardiogram (ultrasound imaging of the heart)
  8. Endocrine evaluation
  9. Eye examination, in patients with vision loss or other eye symptoms
  10. Nutrition assessment to evaluate muscle mass and muscle wasting, including tape measurements or bioelectric impedance testing, a painless procedure in which wires are attached to the extremities with a sticky paste.
  11. Muscle ultrasound.
  12. Electromyography (record of the electrical activity of muscles)
  13. Muscle or skin biopsy (removal of a small piece of muscle tissue for microscopic examination)

All patients may have only a one-time evaluation or may return for one follow-up evaluations (either the 1-day or 3- to 5-day evaluation) over a 1-year period.

Healthy children will undergo a medical history and brief physical examination; blood and urine tests; speech and swallowing studies including questionnaires and physical examination, tongue strength, and ultrasound study; and bioelectric impedance testing. Children 8 to 18 years old may also have exercise testing.

02

Conditions studied

  • Dermatomyositis
  • Polymyositis
  • Inclusion Body Myositis

Keywords

  • Adult and Pediatric Disease
  • Autoimmunity Pathogenesis
  • Disease Assessment
  • Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors
  • Myositis
  • Natural History
03

In context

Dermatomyositis

184 studies on the registry are indexed under Dermatomyositis; 63 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 1,200 is above the median of 179 across 45 observational studies indexed under Dermatomyositis.

Browse Dermatomyositis studies →

Lead sponsor

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is the lead sponsor of 183 studies on the registry; 18 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
2 Years to 100 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

1- Any patient who has documented evidence that he/she meets criteria for an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy; 2- Any patient who has been diagnosed with inflammatory/non-inflammatory myopathies, mimicking and related skin disorders, disorders of complications of myositis, overlapping autoimmune diseases that may be associated with myositis, patients with muscle and/or skin inflammation and documented environmental exposures, patients with myositis or complications of myositis and suspected genetic disorders, patients with undifferentiated connective tissue disease, patients with signs or symptoms of myositis or laboratory abnormalities who do not have an established diagnosis of myositis for them to be evaluated to establish a diagnosis; 3- Close relatives of patients with at least one first-degree relative affected with IIIM (affected or unaffected siblings, children, parents, grandparents) can participate in the genetics portion of the protocol; 4- Healthy control subjects.

Eligibility criteria

  • ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

Patients with Myositis:

Inclusion Criteria:

All patients should have age range 2-100 years.

All Patients admitted to the study must satisfy at least one of the following criteria among item 1 (A or B or C) OR item 2 (A or B or C) AND item 3:

  1. Patient has documented evidence that he/she meets criteria for an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy

    A. Possible, probable or definite adult or juvenile polymyositis or dermatomyositis by Bohan and Peter criteria

    B. Possible, probable or definite inclusion body myositis by Griggs and/or ENMC criteria

    C. Has an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy that does not meet these criteria, including common or rarer forms of myositis such as cancer- associated, focal, orbital, eosinophilic myositis, macrophagic, proliferative, etc.

  2. Has one of the following conditions:

2A. Have a disorder that is related to an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy, that may include:

  • Inflammatory and non-inflammatory myopathies:
  • Mimicking and related skin disorders:
  • Disorders of the complications of myositis (including interstitial lung disease, calcifying disorders, cardiomyopathies, etc.):
  • Overlapping diseases that may be associated with myositis
  • Patients with muscle and/or skin inflammation and documented environmental exposures:
  • Patients with myositis or complications of myositis and suspected genetic disorders:
  • Patients with undifferentiated connective tissue disease
  • Patients with signs or symptoms of myositis (such as weakness, skin rashes, interstitial lung disease) or laboratory abnormalities (such as elevated CK or muscle with myopathic features) who do not have an established diagnosis of myositis for them to be evaluated to establish a diagnosis

    3. Ability of patient or parent/guardian to give to all or part of the study after full information has been provided.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients \<2 years or >100 years will be excluded.
  2. Any conditions in which the drawing of the amount of blood required or undergoing procedures needed for the study is not deemed medically appropriate by the treating physician or the principal investigator.

For females of who are pregnant, they will be permitted to enroll, but would be excluded from radiographic procedures involving radiation or greater than minimal risk procedures, including obtaining biopsies.

Relatives of Patients with Myositis:

For patients with at least one first-degree relative affected with IIIM, all available first-degree relatives (affected and unaffected) are eligible to participate in the genetics portion of the protocol. For patients in which two or more first degree relatives are affected with myositis, any available close relatives (affected or unaffected parents, siblings or children, as well as grandparents and grandchildren, or other close relatives, when available) are eligible to participate in the genetics portion of the protocol.

Inclusion criteria:

  1. First or more distant relative of a proband with myositis, for genetics studies.
  2. Ability of patient or parent/guardian to give informed consent to all or part of the study after full information has been provided.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients \<2 years or >100 years will be excluded.
  2. Any conditions in which the drawing of the amount of blood required or undergoing procedures needed for the study is not deemed medically appropriate by the treating physician or the principal investigator.
  3. Pregnancy (females of childbearing potential). Verbal confirmation they are not pregnant.

Healthy Volunteers:

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Healthy volunteer subjects for biomarker studies will be gender and age-matched (within 5 years) with a myositis patient, as reasonably close as possible.
  2. Volunteer is not related to a myositis patient who is enrolled in the study
  3. Volunteer is in good health, without a recognized systemic rheumatic disorder, autoimmune disease, immune medicated disease, or cancer, and is not taking any anti-inflammatory medicines, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) or
  4. Volunteer or volunteer s parent/guardian could give assent/informed consent to all or part of the study after full information has been provided

Exclusion Criteria:

If Any "Yes" answer patient is not eligible for study

  1. Volunteer has undergone surgery or had a major trauma within the past 2 months
  2. Volunteer used anti-inflammatory medications within the past 8 weeks of enrollment, including not currently receiving nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids
  3. Volunteer has been diagnosed with a chronic infectious illness, inflammatory disease, , cardiac or pulmonary disease, muscle disorder, clotting disorder, metabolic disorder, systemic rheumatic or autoimmune disease, or immune-mediated disease
  4. Volunteer is pregnant (verbally screened for females of childbearing potential)
  5. Volunteer has a medical illness that in the judgement of the investigators does not allow safe blood draws or other clinical evaluations needed for study participation
  6. Volunteer is cognitively impaired
  7. Volunteer and or the volunteer's parents/legal guardian is unable or unwilling to give informed consent/assent
  8. Volunteer has functional limitations
  9. Volunteer has joint or muscle problems

In IMAGE Survey participants must confirm in the survey that they have a medical diagnosis of myositis.

Note that the following screening activities may be performed to determine subject eligibility:

  • Email, written, or telephone communications with prospective subjects
  • Review of existing medical records
  • Review of existing imaging studies
  • Review of existing photographs or videos
  • Review of existing pathology specimens/reports from a specimen obtained for diagnostic purposes

If a participant is ineligible and willing, their contact information- including name, phone numbers, emails, best times to reach, and potential diagnosis- may be shared with other NIH investigators if the participant may be eligible to participate in those studies.

Terms in these criteria, in plain language(6)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

Biopsy and archival tissue

A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.

Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Childbearing potential

Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).

Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
1,200 participants (estimated)

Groups and cohorts

  • Healthy Volunteer

    Healthy subject who has not received anti-inflammatory medications and should not has undergone surgery or any major trauma within the 8 weeks prior to enrollment.

  • Myositis Patient

    Patient should have documented evidence that he/she meets criteria for an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM)

  • Non-Myositis Patient

    Patients with other myopathies/autoimmune diseases/complications similar to myositis patients. Close relatives of IIM patients (affected or unaffected siblings, children, parents, grandparents)

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Physician Global Assessment Form

    1- A secure internet accessible IMACS Outcomes Data Repository of core set disease activity, damage and quality of life measures has been established for adult and juvenile myositis patients as part of IMACS. 2- Compare the clinical and immunopathogenic features of childhood and adult IIM to determine the differences of IIM in these two populations referred to NIH 3- investigate the immunopathogenesis and immunogenetics of IIM.

    Time frame: At enrollment and each study visit

07

Study locations

2 of 4 sites recruiting
  • Emory University
    Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
    Completed

    Not enrolling at this site.

  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
    Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
    Recruiting
  • NIEHS Clinical Research Unit (CRU)
    Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
    Recruiting
  • Texas Scottish Rite Hospital
    Dallas, Texas 75219, United States
    Completed

    Not enrolling at this site.

08

References and documents

Publications

  • Miller FW, Lamb JA, Schmidt J, Nagaraju K. Risk factors and disease mechanisms in myositis. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2018 Apr 20;14(5):255-268. doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2018.48. PubMed 29674613 ↗
  • Miller FW, Chen W, O'Hanlon TP, Cooper RG, Vencovsky J, Rider LG, Danko K, Wedderburn LR, Lundberg IE, Pachman LM, Reed AM, Ytterberg SR, Padyukov L, Selva-O'Callaghan A, Radstake TR, Isenberg DA, Chinoy H, Ollier WE, Scheet P, Peng B, Lee A, Byun J, Lamb JA, Gregersen PK, Amos CI; Myositis Genetics Consortium. Genome-wide association study identifies HLA 8.1 ancestral haplotype alleles as major genetic risk factors for myositis phenotypes. Genes Immun. 2015 Oct;16(7):470-80. doi: 10.1038/gene.2015.28. Epub 2015 Aug 20. PubMed 26291516 ↗
  • Rider LG, Aggarwal R, Machado PM, Hogrel JY, Reed AM, Christopher-Stine L, Ruperto N. Update on outcome assessment in myositis. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2018 May;14(5):303-318. doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2018.33. Epub 2018 Apr 12. PubMed 29651119 ↗
  • Sparling AC, Ward JM, Sarkar K, Schiffenbauer A, Farhadi PN, Smith MA, Rahman S, Zerrouki K, Miller FW, Li JL, Casey KA, Rider LG. Neutrophil and mononuclear leukocyte pathways and upstream regulators revealed by serum proteomics of adult and juvenile dermatomyositis. Arthritis Res Ther. 2024 Nov 11;26(1):196. doi: 10.1186/s13075-024-03421-7. PubMed 39529136 ↗
  • Burbelo PD, Huapaya JA, Khavandgar Z, Beach M, Pinal-Fernandez I, Mammen AL, Chiorini JA, Noroozi Farhadi P, Miller FW, Schiffenbauer A, Sarkar K, Warner BM, Rider LG. Quantification of autoantibodies using a luminescent profiling method in autoimmune interstitial lung disease. Front Immunol. 2024 Oct 25;15:1462242. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1462242. eCollection 2024. PubMed 39524452 ↗
  • Sherman MA, Noroozi Farhadi P, Pak K, Trieu EP, Sarkar K, Targoff IN, Neely ML, Mammen AL, Rider LG; Childhood Myositis Heterogeneity Collaborative Study Group. Myositis-Associated Autoantibodies in Patients With Juvenile Myositis Are Associated With Refractory Disease and Mortality. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2024 Jun;76(6):963-972. doi: 10.1002/art.42813. Epub 2024 Mar 12. PubMed 38272842 ↗
  • Ward JM, Ambatipudi M, O'Hanlon TP, Smith MA, de Los Reyes M, Schiffenbauer A, Rahman S, Zerrouki K, Miller FW, Sanjuan MA, Li JL, Casey KA, Rider LG. Shared and Distinctive Transcriptomic and Proteomic Pathways in Adult and Juvenile Dermatomyositis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2023 Nov;75(11):2014-2026. doi: 10.1002/art.42615. Epub 2023 Aug 13. PubMed 37229703 ↗
  • Sherman MA, Yang Q, Gutierrez-Alamillo L, Pak K, Flegel WA, Mammen AL, Rider LG, Casciola-Rosen LA; Childhood Myositis Heterogeneity Collaborative Study Group. Clinical Features and Immunogenetic Risk Factors Associated With Additional Autoantibodies in Anti-Transcriptional Intermediary Factor 1gamma Juvenile-Onset Dermatomyositis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2024 Apr;76(4):631-637. doi: 10.1002/art.42768. Epub 2024 Jan 30. PubMed 38059274 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026

Started Jun 1995 (actual).

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jun 19, 2001
First posted
Jun 20, 2001
StartActual
Jun 7, 1995
Last update
Sep 24, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 24, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00017914
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jun 20, 2001
Start date
Jun 7, 1995
Last update
Sep 24, 2026

Study contacts

Lisa G Rider, M.D.
Contact
riderl@mail.nih.gov
(301) 451-6272
Lisa G Rider, M.D.
principal investigator · National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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