Skin symptoms not due to fibrosis or scarring among people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) sine scleroderma can associate with damage to internal organs, particularly the heart, according to a large data study. Among these symptoms, skin telangiectasias — marked by small blood vessels that widen near the skin’s…
A physiotherapy program improved sexual function and quality of life, while also preventing the deterioration in functional ability in women with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a study in the Czech Republic reports. The eight-week program consisted of a one-hour session, twice weekly, of targeted physiotherapy according to the patients’ needs.
Clinicians in Tunisia highlighted the importance of screening for self-reactive antibodies, or autoantibodies, in localized scleroderma cases after a 79-year-old woman treated a hospital in the capital city of Tunis was also diagnosed with pulmonary interstitial fibrosis and pulmonary arterial hypertension. In addition, the patient had self-reactive anti-Th/To…
People with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have poorer quality of life and survival when they also have pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and interstitial lung disease (ILD), a study in Australia found. Having PAH was associated with a poorer prognosis than having extensive ILD. “A better understanding of people with…
The degree of skin tightening is associated with changed levels of proteins implicated in inflammation and cell death among systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with pulmonary involvement, a study in India reports. The study established protein correlations among SSc patients with different types of lung disease, which might contribute to…
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), a disease that causes inflammation and scarring of the liver bile ducts, have milder symptoms that rarely lead to major complications, compared to patients with SSc alone. A study with that finding also determined SSc-only patients had a higher incidence…
An index comprising three blood biomarkers was strongly associated with a diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients, a study in Australia shows. The index was also associated with disease severity, independent of lung function. “Our data supports further investigation of composite biomarker indices as…
Oxygenated hemoglobin may be a new prognosis biomarker for systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients screened for pulmonary hypertension (PH), a study in Germany shows. Low levels of oxygenated hemoglobin (OxyHem), the protein that carries oxygen to body tissues, were significantly associated with worse survival among SSc patients. Also, the…
Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) — technology used in medicine to obtain a three-dimensional dataset — may be a feasible, non-invasive technique to quantify the severity of Raynaud’s phenomenon associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc-RP), according to a new study. This “technology may present a novel, fast, and effective method…
Topical cannabidiol may safely improve the healing of digital ulcers and boost quality of life, while also easing pain in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a study in Italy suggests. Benefits were also seen in increasing the amount of sleep per night for those given the treatment. The study,…
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