People with clinical manifestations that affect appearance, such as those with systemic sclerosis (SSc), are more likely to exhibit social avoidance behaviors due to body image concerns. In a recent study, the Canadian Scleroderma Research Group described a new scale able to measure social avoidance in patients with SSc, often called…
The Scleroderma Education Project recently released guidelines for patients and doctors wishing to know more about therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) as a treatment option for limited scleroderma. The guidelines are designed to facilitate data collection to support the launch of a randomized clinical trial, and follow the same setup as…
Project Scleroderma: Beneath the Surface has recently gained popularity, it was presented on the Oprah show and is highly anticipated by the scleroderma community. But what is this project and how was it started? Christy McCaffrey lost her mother to scleroderma in September of 2009 and she began…
A woman with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with the chemotherapy drug Xeloda (capecitabine) developed diffuse scleroderma — a condition never before linked to the use of this particular cancer drug. The study, “Scleroderma in a Patient on Capecitabine: Is this a Variant of Hand-Foot Syndrome?,” published in the…
Esbriet (pirfenidone) has an acceptable level of tolerability in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) associated with interstitial lung disease (ILD), and may be tested for efficacy in future clinical trials in these patients, according to the results of a randomized Phase 2 study, the LOTUSS trial. The study, “An…
A study showed the effectiveness of hydrogen sulfide in a mouse model of scleroderma, and researchers in China suggest that the compound should be explored as a potential treatment for patients. The study, “The protective effect of hydrogen sulfide on systemic sclerosis associated skin and lung fibrosis in mice model,” published…
Scleroderma patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) benefit equally well from treatment with Adempas (riociguat) as PAH patients with other types of connective tissue disease (PAH-CTD), according to research from the University of Paris-Saclay in France. The study, “Riociguat for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension…
This week, Scleroderma News reported on the recent study, “Watermelon stomach and colon in a patient with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis,” published in the journal Modern Rheumatology. The news article informs us that: ‘GI complications, such as hemorrhages, low esophageal motility, and bacterial overgrowth, are common in…
A direct comparison of Cytoxan (Cyclophosphamide) and Cellcept (mycophenolate mofetil) showed that the drugs are equally effective in stabilizing, and even improving, lung function in scleroderma patients with lung fibrosis. Since Cytoxan might be more toxic when used for extended periods, the study, “Cyclophosphamide versus mycophenolate mofetil…
Systemic sclerosis may lead to the appearance of gastrointestinal (GI) lesions that resemble the stripes of a watermelon, which explains the expression “watermelon stomach.” Although it is often restricted to the stomach, researchers presented, for what is believed to be the first time, a case of watermelon stomach and colon.
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