Watermelon stomach, a condition in which the stomach lining bleeds, is an early and relatively common manifestation of systemic sclerosis (SSc) — especially among patients with diffuse disease — that is associated with worse quality of life, a study in Australia shows. Officially gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE), the…
Patients with two rare subtypes of systemic sclerosis (SSc) — based on the presence of specific antibodies and the extent of skin involvement — have mild disease courses and specific clinical features, symptoms, and outcomes, a study shows. The data also confirmed that the presence of anti-topoisomerase-I autoantibodies (ATAs)…
Local injection with botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) safely and effectively reduces Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) and nailfold small blood vessel, or capillary, abnormalities in women with scleroderma, according to data from a small study in China. Treatment also led to significant improvements in upper limb function in women with…
Slowing the decline in lung function, even small reductions, may prevent hospitalizations in patients with interstitial lung disease associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc-ILD), according to a post-hoc analysis of the Phase 3 SENSCIS trial. Researchers found that a greater decline in lung function is significantly associated with an…
People with sine sclerosis — a rare form of scleroderma without skin involvement — have better survival than those with limited and diffuse scleroderma, according to a retrospective study of up to 18 years of patient data. In addition, male sex, poor lung function, heart involvement, and…
Targeted oxygen-ozone therapy effectively reduced digital ulcers — open sores on the fingers or toes — that had proven resistant to standard treatment in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a small study shows. In this complementary treatment, an ozone/oxygen mixture is delivered to the ulcerated area via a…
Platelet inhibitors, or anti-platelet medication, is associated with a lower occurrence of digital ulcers — open sores on the fingers or toes — in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a study shows. These findings may “assist rheumatologists in decision making regarding the use of platelet inhibitors in SSc patients…
Ofev (nintedanib) effectively slowed lung function decline in adults with interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc-ILD) across patient groups based on autoantibody status and skin involvement severity, according to an analysis of the SENSCIS trial. These findings add to the trial’s top-line results,…
Thirona Bio has partnered with EnZen Therapeutics to accelerate the development of its experimental topical therapy FBM5712 for scleroderma and other conditions associated with scarring (fibrosis). EnZen’s investment in Thirona, part of a convertible promissory note arrangement, may be converted into equity in the long run. The companies…
Nearly 30% of scleroderma patients have nerve damage outside of the brain and spinal cord — called peripheral neuropathy — and it most frequently appears in the first decade after disease onset, according to a review study. Notably, this frequency is higher than that reported for the general…
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