OBJECTIVE To examine the productivity of patients with scleroderma (systemic sclerosis [SSc]) both outside of and within the home in a large observational cohort. METHODS One hundred sixty-two patients completed the Work Productivity Survey. Patients indicated whether or not they were employed outside of the home, how many days per month they missed work (employment or household work) due to ...

OBJECTIVE To describe microvascular abnormalities by nailfold capillaroscopy in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) with or without Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) and those with anticentromere antibodies (ACA). METHODS Forty patients with SS (14 without RP, 16 with RP, 10 with ACA), 20 patients with scleroderma (SSc) (10 with limited and 10 with diffuse disease) (disease control group) a...

BACKGROUND Scleroderma is a fairly rare connective tissue disease whose autoantibody profile is associated with different clinical manifestations. The prevalence of autoantibodies in scleroderma is influenced by race and genetics. OBJECTIVE To study the prevalence of anti-Scl-70, anti-centromere (ACA) and anti-U1-RNP antibodies in patients with scleroderma in southern Brazil and verify their ...

Skin disease may be related with immunological disorders, external aggressions, or genetic conditions. Injuries cutaneous diseases such as wounds, burns, psoriasis, and scleroderma among others are common pathologies in dermatology, some cases, conventional treatments ineffective. In recent years, advanced therapies using human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) from different sources has emerged a...

Story From the Front Lines A 74-year-old woman with systemic sclerosis was referred to a rheumatology clinic to reestablish care after a 5-year hiatus. Diagnosed as having scleroderma 30 years earlier, her disease manifestations of sclerodactyly, Raynaud phenomenon, gastroesophageal reflux, and calcinosis were consistent with the limited cutaneous subtype of systemic sclerosis, and she had neve...

The pulmonary manifestations of progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) are important determinants of a patient’s prognosis. Although the etiology and pathogenesis of PSS are unknown, it is recognized that this is a complex disease; it is likely that different genetic susceptibilities and environmental exposures lead to the disease in different individuals. Individuals with diffuse PSS tend to dev...

  Primary Hepatic Lymphoma (PHL) is rare and possibly associated with viral hepatitis and autoimmune diseases. Scleroderma could exceptionally be complicated by lymphoma. We describe PHL occurring in a 52-year-old female suffering scleroderma for eight years, with no history of cytotoxic or high-dose glucocorticoid therapy. CT scan, performed to work-up abdominal discomfort, constipation, and ...

Background Morphea is a subtype of limited scleroderma characterized by atrophic changes. There are multiple treatment modalities for morphea, but all have success to restore atrophy. Objectives To evaluate the efficacy and safety paltelet rich plasma (PRP) skin changes in morphea such as (skin atrophy, dyspigmentation adnexal destruction) ultrasound Localized Scleroderma Cutaneous Assessment T...