Inclusion Body Myositis: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments, and Natural Approaches

Although rare, affecting roughly 25,000 Americans, inclusion body myositis is a debilitating disease often overlooked until its advanced stages.

Inclusion body myositis is an insidious disease that leads to muscle weakness and atrophy. Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock

Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is one of a group of muscle diseases called inflammatory myopathies. These conditions are marked by long-term muscle inflammation that deteriorates muscle over time, leading to weakness. The presence of inclusion bodies distinguishes this type of myositis from similar conditions, such as polymyositis. Inclusion bodies are clumps of proteins misfolded tightly together in a round shape, found in neurons and various tissue cells.

IBM is one of the most prevalent inflammatory muscle diseases affecting people over 50, with an estimated annual incidence ranging from one to nearly eight cases per 1 million Americans. One estimate suggests that around 25,000 individuals in the United States are affected by IBM.