BACKGROUND Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic disease with microvascular damage. Nailfold capillaroscopy is a non-invasive method used for evaluating capillaries in SSc. Its findings could be related to the internal organ involvement and SSc course. In this study, we aimed to determine the association of the capillaroscopic patterns of nailfold capillaries with the disease subtypes of SSc, d...

labmedicine.com November 2005 Volume 36 Number 11 LABMEDICINE 723 Systemic sclerosis is a chronic disease of unknown etiology characterized by abnormal accumulation of fibrous tissue in the skin and multiple organs.1 Scleroderma derives its name from the Greek words “sclerosis” (hardness) and “derma” (skin), thus aptly named “hard skin,” a feature that is common to all the different types of sc...

The ocular manifestations of progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) have been described by Manschot (i 965), Nelken and Michaelson (196 I), Pollack and Becker (1962), and Stucchi and Geiser (I967). These reports were mainly limited to isolated cases, although Stucchi and Geiser (i967) studied a series of fourteen patients-thirteen with generalized scleroderma and one in whom the scleroderma was c...

Graft versus host disease (GVHD) has traditionally been divided into acute GVHD and chronic GVHD based on the period it occurs after transplantation. Chronic cutaneous GVHD has traditionally been classified into the lichenoid and scleroderma-like forms. However, unusual clinical forms have been reported such as dermatomyositis, lupus erythematosus and exfoliative dermatitis. A 35-year-old woman...

Morphea, also known as localized scleroderma is a chronic disease of unknown etiology, characterized by fibrous deposition and obliteration of vessels in the skin. This disease has a wide clinical spectrum, ranging from mild hyperpigmented plaques to severe, invalidating generalized and pansclerotic forms. Disabling pansclerotic morphea of childhood is a rare and debilitating variant of localiz...

Extensive investigations dating back to 1932 (1, 2, 3) have shown that, in experimental animals, it is possible to produce cutaneous calcinosis reminiscent of calcifying scieroderma (the "sclérodermie calcaire" of French dermatologists) with certain calcification-promoting compounds, such as parathyroid hormone or dihydrotachysterol (DHT). However, irrespective of the evocative agent, the cutan...

Difficulty in the diagnosis of the disease scleroderma may occur at the early stage prior to the development of obvious skin sclerosis. A presumptive diagnosis may be made if Raynaud's phenomenon is accompanied by a positive 'neck test', 'scleroderma' capillary changes in the nailfolds or antinuclear antibodies. Definitive diagnosis may have to be delayed for several years from the onset of Ray...

Parry Romberg syndrome(PRS) is a rare acquired poorly understood neurocutaneous syndrome of unknown etiology characterized by slow progressive atrophic changes commonly affecting one half of the face. The exact incidence and etiology towards the syndrome remains unclear. Apart from the multifactorial etiology proposed, the possible primary cause is mainly attributed to the cerebral disturbance ...

Localized scleroderma is a rare disease, characterized by sclerotic lesions. A variety of presentations have been described, with different clinical characteristics and specific prognosis. In scleroderma en coup de sabre (LScs) the atrophic lesion in frontoparietal area is the disease hallmark. Skin and subcutaneous are the mainly affected tissues, but case reports of muscle, cartilage, and bon...

This study examined associations between childbearing and risk of scleroderma by using national population-based registry data from Sweden. Women with a discharge diagnosis of scleroderma from 1964 to 1999 (n = 2,149) were identified in the Swedish Inpatient Register. These cases were matched by year and month of birth and region of residence to as many as five controls obtained from the Multi-...