Anxiety Disorder as an Important Determinant of Quality of Life in Systemic Sclerosis Patients

Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune connective tissue disease, characterised by fibrosis of internal organs and skin that leads to visible disfigurements to various body parts, including face, mouth and hands. The changes in these socially relevant body parts are associated with greater body image dissatisfaction, increased depressive symptoms, and social anxiety and avoidance behaviours. The HRQol, usually evaluated in rheumatic conditions by the Medical Outcomes Study 36Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), is considered an important outcome in SSc, useful in monitoring the disease. The few data available on the prevalence of anxiety in patients with systemic sclerosis revealed severe anxiety disorders in 19-46.6%, although only a limited number of researches assessed anxiety impact on HRQoL.