Rationale: In December 2019, a new epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) appeared in Wuhan, Hubei Province, and spread rapidly to other parts of China and worldwide. Although established methods exist for the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 infection, the management of dermatomyositis (DM) patients with COVID-19 is unknown.Patient concerns: In this article, we describe case reports of 2 patients with DM. The first case was a 67-year-old patient with DM and infected with COVID-19 who was admitted to Leishenshan Hospital for a 1-month history of fever, cough, and expectoration. The second case was a 51-year-old male patient who was admitted to Leishenshan Hospital due to fever with cough, expectoration and shortness of breath for 1 month.Diagnoses: The first patient was diagnosed with COVID-19 secondary to DM based on repeated SARS-CoV-2 real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) test, detailed medical history and chest computed tomography; The second patient was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease associated with anti-MDA5 DM based on the results of antirheumatic and anti-inflammatory therapy and the above 3 methods. Interventions and outcomes:The first patient received supportive and empirical treatment, including antiviral treatment, anti-inflammatory treatment, oxygen therapy and prophylactic anticoagulation therapy. The symptoms and laboratory results got improved after the treatments. He was discharged with thrice negative PCR tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The second patient received a comprehensive treatment, including glucocorticoid and plasma exchange; his symptoms were relieved and improved.Lessons: These cases suggest that repeated new pathogenic test results for the coronavirus and a detailed diagnosis of the medical history are important means to distinguish these diseases. Increased attention to the individual characteristics of different cases may allow for more effective diagnosis and treatment. Abbreviations: COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019, CT = computed tomography, DM = dermatomyositis, ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation rate, GGO = ground-glass opacity, LMWH = low-molecular weight heparin,RT-PCR = real-time reversetranscriptase polymerase-chain-reaction, SARS-COV-2 = severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2.

No abstract

No abstract