Definition

A medical condition that causes inflammation in the skin and muscles, leading to weakness and a rash.

Example

The doctor diagnosed her with dermatomyositis after she showed symptoms of muscle weakness and a skin rash.

Conversation

I read an article about dermatomyositis yesterday, and it was really interesting.

Oh really? I’ve never heard of that before. What is it?

It's a disease that causes inflammation in the skin and muscles.

That sounds tough! I hope there are good treatments available.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Dermatomyositis → It is formed from "derma" (from Greek "derma", meaning skin), "myo" (from Greek "mys", meaning muscle), and "itis" (from Greek "itis", meaning inflammation). The word describes an inflammation of the skin and muscles.

Memory Tip

Think of 'derma' for skin and 'myo' for muscle, combined with 'itis' which indicates inflammation — this helps you remember that dermatomyositis refers to inflammation affecting both the skin and muscles.

Visually Confused Words