News

People with scleroderma who were younger and had thicker skin at the onset of their disease experience an increased risk of heart muscle (myocardial) inflammation, a new study suggests. The research, “Clinical and laboratory predictions of myocardial inflammation as detected by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in patients with…

Treatment with Letairis (ambrisentan) failed to significantly reduce pulmonary blood pressure at rest and during exercise compared with a placebo in people with scleroderma and mild pulmonary hypertension (PH), a Phase 2 trial showed. However, the therapy improved cardiac function and blood flow in the lungs —…

Most people with scleroderma develop skin lesions within one year after the onset of Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP), a condition in which the fingers and toes feel numb, prickly, and frigid in response to cold temperatures or stress, a 10-year follow-up study reports.  The findings also showed a continuous…

Digital ulcers (DUs) aggravate hand disability, limit daily activities, and affect work productivity in people with scleroderma, a real-world study from Spain reports. Patients with DUs had more pain, a higher incidence of Raynaud’s phenomenon, and reported having…

Real-world clinical data support the use of Opsumit (macitentan) to treat people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) due to scleroderma (PAH-SSc). The findings revealed similar safety results and comparable therapeutic efficacy in people with PAH-SSc as seen in patients with idiopathic or hereditary…

A recently discovered variant of the IFNL3 gene increases the risk of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in people with scleroderma, a study reveals. In contrast, no such link was found between this variant and worsened skin fibrosis in these patients. Findings also revealed markedly increased serum levels of…

People with systemic sclerosis (SSc) show a wide range of eye complications, with dry eye disease, eyelid skin alterations, and retinal abnormalities as the most common, a Hungarian study shows. The variety of eye complications found in these patients reflect the heterogeneity, or diversity, of SSc —…

People with scleroderma can develop autoimmune diseases like neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a condition that affects the nervous system — especially the nerves of the eye and spinal cord, a case report suggests. Correctly diagnosing a co-occurring autoimmune disease help to ensure that scleroderma patients receive proper care early,…

Patients with scleroderma may need longer-term treatment with Adempas (riociguat) to heal their digital ulcers, results of a Phase 2 clinical trial suggest. Findings were published in the study, “A multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study to assess the efficacy and safety of riociguat in systemic…

Treatment for one year with the immunosuppressant Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide) improves lung function in scleroderma patients with interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) — but these benefits wear off after stopping treatment, data from Phase 3 trials show. The study, “Cyclophosphamide for Systemic Sclerosis-related Interstitial Lung Disease: A Comparison of…