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Levels of microparticles, tiny molecule-filled sacs shed from cells, were altered in the bloodstream of adults with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a study reports. Elevated microparticles derived from blood-clotting platelets were associated with disease-related antibodies and longer disease duration. By contrast, lower levels of microparticles shed from endothelial cells that…

An analysis of genetic data from patient skin samples revealed four genes that may be involved in the development or progression of systemic sclerosis (SSc), as well as regulatory molecules that also might contribute. The scientists believe these four genes — SERPINE1, CCL2, IL6, and ISG15 — could be…

The National Scleroderma Foundation has awarded a $200,000 research grant to a University of Minnesota scientist to study how immune system responses drive the emergence of scleroderma — the cause of which remains unknown. The funding for researcher Rafael Contreras-Galindo, PhD, comes in the form of the two-year…

The clinical presentation of systemic sclerosis (SSc) differs significantly between adult and pediatric patients, according to a recent study in Turkey. Particularly, adults were more likely to have lung disease and to be at a higher risk of death than children, who were more likely to experience joint inflammation and…

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…

Elevated blood levels of the cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP) are linked with more severe interstitial lung disease (ILD) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients and may be a marker of disease activity, a study from Japan reports. “Our results suggest that serum [blood] CIRP levels may serve as a useful…

Having a higher level of education or being married may mean fewer symptoms of depression for people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), according to a systematic review of multiple studies. Researchers also observed that lung involvement, breathing problems, and tender joints were linked to more symptoms of depression, but…

People with systemic sclerosis (SSc) who test positive for Scl-70 self-reactive antibodies are at a higher risk of major organ involvement, particularly the lungs, than those with other types of autoantibodies, a study suggested. Digestive tract involvement was associated with the presence of anti-nuclear (ANA) autoantibodies. SSc patients with…

A woman developed scleroderma, also known as systemic sclerosis (SSc), after she contracted COVID-19, according to a case report that highlights the challenges of treating complex autoimmune conditions. Treatment with a corticosteroid led to scleroderma renal crisis, “highlighting the risk of steroid use in all patients with systemic sclerosis,”…

About half of the people with suspected very early systemic sclerosis (SSc) may go on to develop definite disease, and those who test positive for anti-topoisomerase antibodies (ATAs) are more likely experience faster disease progression. That’s according to a study from the Netherlands where the proportion of people who…