Magdalena Kegel,  —

Many scleroderma patients die early in the course of the disease, and studies that measure mortality without taking that into consideration tend to underestimate death rates in the disease, according to a new report. Researchers compared a group of patients in the early stages of scleroderma to a group with participants at…

Current methods of dividing scleroderma patients into groups, based on characteristics of their disease in order to predict its likely progression, gives highly variable results, researchers reported, noting that no single method is able to correctly predict outcomes across groups. The study, “Subsets in systemic sclerosis: one size does not…

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has the potential to treat digital ulcers and Raynaud’s symptoms in patients with scleroderma, as recently reported by Scleroderma News. Now, the researcher behind the study — Edward Harris of the Scleroderma Education Project, a research fellow at the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of…

Problems with the esophagus that result in difficulties with swallowing, or regurgitation and heartburn, typically affect “only one-third” of scleroderma patients, a study reported. But in those with these difficulties, quality of life is impacted. The study, “Esophageal Motor Abnormalities in Patients With Scleroderma: Heterogeneity, Risk Factors, and Effects on Quality of…

Stimulating skin fat stem cells eased skin fibrosis in a scleroderma mouse model, suggesting the treatment may be an option for patients. Injections of such cells are already being tested in scleroderma, and the new finding could be a way of improving cell survival after injection. The study, “Dendritic cells…

An overview of published studies exploring the use of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) in scleroderma patients indicated that the treatment improved Raynaud’s phenomenon and digital ulcers. Findings also showed that TPE made blood less viscous, improving blood flow and preventing blood vessels from becoming blocked. The findings will be presented at the American…

Researchers have identified risk factors of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with scleroderma, showing that the risk profiles differ between patients with limited and diffuse cutaneous scleroderma. The study, “Risk factors for development of pulmonary arterial hypertension in Australian systemic sclerosis patients: results from a large…

Corbus Pharmaceuticals reported new findings supporting the anti-inflammatory actions of its lead compound Resunab (JBT-101), which is currently being explored in a clinical trial for scleroderma. Data from experiments in healthy volunteers showed that Resunab prevented the infiltration of immune cells, called neutrophils, and changed blood flow in a…

Ratings of digital ulcers by rheumatologists tend to differ according to the clinician involved. But a new study reports that including clinical information, such as the presence of pain or ulcer discharge, did not improve the reliability in how rheumatologists rate digital ulcers in scleroderma patients. The findings were reported in…

Few scleroderma patients have antibodies directed specifically against the Ku antigen, but those who do, and have them as the only autoantibody present, are more likely to have interstitial lung disease and higher levels of a muscle degradation factor. Ku autoantibodies, as noted, are rare in people with scleroderma. The…