Santiago Gisler,  —

The mortality rate among people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) has not changed over time and continues to be high, according to a combined analysis of a French multicenter cohort study and a literature review. Apart from already reported prognostic factors, the researchers also found new potential predictors of SSc…

Rituximab, an immunosuppressant antibody, alleviates skin fibrosis in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and was also found to be generally safe, according to a study. The study, “Outcomes of patients with systemic sclerosis treated with rituximab in contemporary practice: a prospective cohort study,” was published in the…

Progressive skin fibrosis within one year increases the risk of lung function decline and mortality in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic scleroderma (dcSSc), a large-scale observational study found. The finding suggests that skin fibrosis scoring can work as a potential surrogate marker for dcSSc severity in clinical trials and routine…

Boehringer Ingelheim has submitted its proprietary therapy nintedanib to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for regulatory approval to treat systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD). Approval is needed by the relevant regulatory agencies before a new product or treatment can reach…

A high prevalence of pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease may explain the poor prognosis observed in this patient group, according to a new study. The study, “Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease is highly prevalent in scleroderma patients undergoing…

Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have reduced health-related quality of life compared with other systemic rheumatoid diseases, a new study shows. A significant association between skin thickness scores and impaired quality of life also was reported in the study. The study “Health-related quality of life in systemic sclerosis…

Serum levels of E-selectin (sE-selectin) and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) are potential prognostic markers of progression and severity in localized scleroderma, according to a recent study. The study, “The correlation between serum E-selectin levels and soluble interleukin-2 receptors with relation to disease activity in localized scleroderma” was published…

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients showed reduced skin thickness and improved lung function after a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) using blood progenitor cells positive for the CD34 marker, a study reports. This finding suggests that CD34-selected autologous HSCT may have additional clinical benefits over conventional autologous HSCT. The study,…

Pacemaker implantation in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with secondary complete heart block (CHB) may be a required procedure to avoid clinical complications, according to recent case report. The case study, titled “Complete heart block in systemic sclerosis: A case report and literature review,” describes an SSc patient with…

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is the main cause of death among systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients, according to a recent Chinese cohort study. Researchers found SSc-related clinical features that associate with disease outcome, possibly helping future characterization of SSc. The study, “Prognostic profile of systemic sclerosis: analysis of the clinical…