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Blood levels of CCL24 are elevated in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients compared to healthy people, according to a recent scientific presentation. Consistent with previous studies, higher CCL24 levels correlated with SSc severity, a threefold greater risk of interstitial lung disease (ILD) progression, and shorter five-year survival rates. “These…

With an emphasis on sparking conversations about the complex chronic autoimmune disease, supporters are observing Scleroderma Awareness Month this June with a host of events and activities — including social media campaigns. World Scleroderma Day is on June 29. In addition to the general public, the awareness and fundraising efforts…

Older age, problems in the larynx, or voice box, and being positive for certain autoantibodies is associated with a higher risk of having dysphagia — difficulty swallowing — in scleroderma patients, according to a single-center study. Esophageal dysmotility, when foods and liquids do not easily pass down the esophagus,…

Clinicians in Tunisia highlighted the importance of screening for self-reactive antibodies, or autoantibodies, in localized scleroderma cases after a 79-year-old woman treated a hospital in the capital city of Tunis was also diagnosed with pulmonary interstitial fibrosis and pulmonary arterial hypertension. In addition, the patient had self-reactive anti-Th/To…

Baricitinib, an anti-inflammatory therapy approved to treat some forms of inflammatory arthritis, showed promising effects in a mouse model of systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated lung disease. “This study demonstrates that baricitinib successfully attenuates bleomycin-induced injury and fibrosis of the skin and lung,” the researchers wrote in “Crosstalk between…

In people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), organic solvent exposure — common among workers in industry — is more likely to be found among men and is associated with more severe disease symptoms, according to a new study. Such symptoms primarily included gastrointestinal (GI) and kidney or renal problems. “This…

People with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have poorer quality of life and survival when they also have pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and interstitial lung disease (ILD), a study in Australia found. Having PAH was associated with a poorer prognosis than having extensive ILD. “A better understanding of people with…

Certain metabolic changes in the blood could serve as biomarkers for systemic sclerosis (SSc), according to a recent analysis. In “the largest metabolic study in SSc so far,” researchers identified metabolites — small molecules that are products of metabolism — that distinguished SSc patients from healthy adults, but were…

Elevated activity of a blood-clotting protein called Factor XIII (FXIII) in the bloodstream of adults with systemic sclerosis (SSc) is tied to the presence of Raynaud’s phenomenon, a common SSc symptom, a small study suggests. While most study participants had FXIII activity levels within the normal range, “patients with…

Caregivers of children with juvenile scleroderma cited a lack of knowledge about the rare disease within the medical community as the primary barrier to a proper diagnosis and treatment, according to a new survey study. For more than a quarter of the children, it took more than a year…