Inflammatory myopathies are reported to be associated with various malignancies. This association is more commonly observed in cases of dermatomyosis and less frequently in polymyositis. Malignancies commonly reported in association with inflammatory myopathies include non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and ovarian, lung and gastric carcinomas, as well as nasopharyngeal malignancies. Polycythaemia vera as a cause of polymyositis is unknown. We report a case of polycythaemia vera in a female patient who developed polymyositis three years later.