Peripheral blood T lymphocytopenia has previously been identified in olymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM) patients. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the potential role of autophagy in peripheral blood T cell survival in PM/DM patients. Transmission electron microscopy was used to detect the formation of autophagosomes of peripheral blood cluster of differentiation (CD)3(+) T cells obtained from 24 patients with PM/DM and 21 healthy controls. Protein and mRNA expression levels of autophagy-related molecules were examined by western blot analysis and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. The number of peripheral blood CD3(+) T cells decreased significantly in PM/DM patients. The median percentage of apoptosis of CD3(+) T cells in PM/DM patients was significantly increased compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, the number of autophagosomes and the expression of the autophagy markers microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3) and Beclin-1 were significantly reduced in the circulating CD3(+) T cells of PM/DM patients compared with those of healthy controls. LC3 and Beclin-1 protein levels correlated negatively with apoptosis rates in circulating CD3(+) T cells in patients with PM/DM. CD3(+) T cells from PM/DM patients treated with rapamycin increased autophagy and decreased apoptosis compared with untreated cells (P<0.05). In conclusion, these results suggested that autophagy may serve a potential protective role in the peripheral blood T cells of patients with PM/DM.