Update on Treatment of Antisynthetase Syndrome: A Brief Review

Antisynthetase syndrome (ASSD) is a rare, heterogeneous, systemic disease characterized by the clinical triad of arthritis, myositis, and interstitial lung disease (ILD) together with other accompanying findings, which often has a progressive and life-threatening evolution. The rarity of this condition and the lack of classification criteria make it hard to conduct studies on a homogenous cohort, resulting in the lack of standardized treatment regimens for this condition. To date, the evidence regarding the treatment of ASSD mostly derives from observational studies on polymyositis and dermatomyositis cohorts. Corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab are the most widely used treatments for ILD and myositis, while few data are available for mycophenolate mofetil, methotrexate, and azathioprine. Data on arthritis are scarce, suggesting efficacy of corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, and rituximab. A homogenous classification of these patients is necessary in order to produce good quality data on ASSD treatment.