BACKGROUND Growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15 is a secreted member of the transforming growth factor-β cytokine superfamily. GDF-15 levels are elevated in the serum of patients with cardiovascular diseases. We hypothesized that GDF-15 levels would also be increased in the plasma and lung tissue of patients with systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (SSc-PAH). METHO...

BACKGROUND Foot problems associated with Systemic Sclerosis (SSc)/Scleroderma have been reported to be both common and disabling. There are only limited data describing specifically, the mechanical changes occurring in the foot in SSc. A pilot project conducted in preparation for this trial confirmed the previous reports of foot related impairment and reduced foot function in people with SSc an...

Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma, SSc) and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) are chronic autoimmune diseases characterised by a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations including different forms of musculoskeletal involvement, skin and vascular changes, as well as internal organ complications. Clinical course and outcomes might vary from mild forms with good clinical prognosis to severe ra...

Targeted therapies including tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) inhibitors have trans‐ formed the management of a number of autoimmune conditions over the past 20 years. One autoimmune rheumatological condition with significant potential for the develop‐ ment of targeted therapies is systemic sclerosis (SSc). In this chapter, we use SSc as an example of how research into the pathogenic processes u...

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune disease that beside the skin involvement it may affect the peripheral vessels and several organs, such as the lungs, the kidneys or the heart. Cardiac impairment usually becomes symptomatic in the late stages of the disease and is associated with poor prognosis. We report the case of a 80-year-old woman patient presenting symptoms of heart failur...

Background Significant cardiovascular mortality is reported in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) despite that there is moderate to no increase of signs of epicardial coronary artery disease. This could be due to reduced myocardial perfusion caused by microvascular disease. The quantitative extent of hypoperfusion in patients with SSc, however, is not known. Recently, general interest has e...

Lung involvement is the leading cause of death in systemic sclerosis (SSc), but lung transplantation (LT) for systemic disease remains controversial. Our objective was to comprehensively evaluate post-LT outcomes for SSc compared to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We retrospectively evaluated bilateral LT recipients (LTRs) with SSc or IPF at our centre between January 1, 2003 and December ...

OBJECTIVES Chronic rheumatic diseases, which have a progressive course, lead to large deficits in physical, mental and social functioning. In the process of the planned and systematic education of patients/families, it is extremely important to identify patients' health problems as well as their needs and expectations. Study objectives: To assess the learning needs of patients with rheumatoid a...

conclusions this study indicated that the rv systolic strain and strain rate can be used to detect early rv systolic dysfunction in ssc patients without pulmonary hypertension. these parameters may be useful for the provision of a more adequate management of ssc patients. results in the ssc patients, the rv strain (- 19 ± 10 vs. - 25 ± 4 %; p = 0.004) and the systolic strain rate (- 1.3 ± 0.5 v...

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by vascular abnormalities, and cutaneous and visceral fibrosis. Serum autoantibodies directed to multiple intracellular antigens are present in more than 95% of patients and are considered a hallmark of SSc. They are helpful biomarkers for the early diagnosis of SSc and are associated with distinctive clinical manifestations. With ...