Assessment of light touch sensation in the hands of systemic sclerosis patients

INTRODUCTION Systemic sclerosis is a relatively rare connective tissue disorder characterized by severe and progressive fibrosis of the skin. Due to the current lack of available information on this subject, the aim of the present study was to assess light touch sensations in the hands of patients with systemic sclerosis. METHODS We completed a cross-sectional comparative study. Light touch sensations were evaluated in 30 individuals, including 15 patients with systemic sclerosis who exhibited changes in the dermis of their hands without loss of the distal phalanx and 15 subjects who did not exhibit changes in the upper limbs (control group). The groups were age- and sex-matched. Tactile sensory evaluations were performed using the Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test and the two-point discrimination test. RESULTS Statistically significant differences were found between groups in the monofilament test. The study group had lower scores across all points of the hand when compared with the control group. Differences were also found when dominant and non-dominant hands were compared (p<0.05). Statistically significant differences were found between groups for a subset of the assessed points in the two-point discrimination test. CONCLUSIONS The results of a monofilament test showed that tactile sensation, specifically light touch and deep pressure sensations, is altered in the hands of systemic sclerosis patients.