Maureen Newman,  —

Predicting mortality and morbidity for scleroderma patients, either of the limited or diffusive cutaneous systemic sclerosis subtypes (lcSSc and dcSSc, respectively) is important to both clinicians and the affected individuals to help determine how patients may respond to certain types of treatments. To assign predictions to patients, researchers involved…

A diagnosis of systemic sclerosis (SSc) can be extremely stressful for patients, and it is important that patients receive appropriate support to reduce emotional distress. Some patients may benefit from an interdisciplinary care program that incorporates physical therapy, occupational therapy, and specialized nurse care, according to a case study…

Although women have a greater risk for systemic sclerosis (SSc), they may actually experience a lesser degree of symptoms. An international study based in Cochin Hospital in Paris extracted data for 9,182 patients with SSc from the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) scleroderma trials and research study cohort and…

Most of the time, systemic sclerosis is associated with adulthood. However, juvenile systemic sclerosis (jSSc) is just as severe, despite a lack of published data concerning the condition. Fortunately, the five-year survival rate is high (95%), but according to “Systemic Scleroderma in Childhood: A Case…

Systemic sclerosis, often characterized by thickened skin and connective tissue, may be a result of increased signaling pathways. According to a study from University College London Medical School and the Musculoskeletal Biology University of Liverpool, published online ahead of print in Arthritis & Rheumatism, an increase in mTOR/AKT signaling…

In 90% of all scleroderma patients, gastrointestinal (GI) tract problems lead to uncomfortable and dangerous complications. Malnutrition, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are among the symptoms that plague GI tract-involved scleroderma patients. Understanding how these problems develop could lead to large gains in quality of life of affected patients and…

Scleroderma can often be a side effect of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, as it occurs in 15.5% of chronic GVHD patients within five years. Patients are diagnosed with a condition known as sclerodermatous chronic GVHD (scGVHD) and are at…

Nonsense mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy (nmDMD) patients living in the European Union may soon experience relief from their condition due to the European Commission granting PTC Therapeutics, Inc. conditional marketing for Translarna™ (ataluren). PTC Therapeutics may now market Translarna in the 28 Member States of the…