Raynaud’s phenomenon in scleroderma or systemic sclerosis (SSc) is associated with significant discomfort and functional disability, especially in the presence of digital ulcers.1 Having lived with diffuse systemic sclerosis (dSSc) for nearly a decade, I can attest to this. It has been my experience that the hand pain and dysfunction in dSSc stems from Raynaud’s…
Systemic sclerosis (SSc), a subtype of scleroderma, is a rare, complex autoimmune disease characterized by widespread vasculopathy of the small arteries and fibroblast dysfunction.1,2 It has been described as a fibrosing microÂvascular disease, because vascular injury precedes and leads to tissue fibrosis.3 The resulting Raynaud’s phenomenon, pain, skin thickening and tightening, and multi-organ involvement have…
In a new study, Spiera et al. assessed the safety and efficacy of lenabasum, a synthetic, orally administered agonist of cannabinoid receptor 2 that modulates the endocannabinoid system to activate the resolution phase of innate immune responses, in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis…
Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) may improve the survival rate of patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (SSc), according to Georges et al. The single-arm clinical trial demonstrated the effectiveness of AHSCT and maintenance therapy. Researchers also identified potential risk factor of AHSCT in patients with low eGFR before transplantation.
SAN DIEGO—In a scientific session at ACR Convergence 2023, Sindhu Johnson, MD, PhD, and Dinesh Khanna, MD, MSc, discussed ACR’s new guideline on SARDs and ILD.
Updates from the ACR Convergence 2023 Review Course, part 6 SAN DIEGO—The pre-conference Review Course at ACR Convergence 2023, held Saturday, Nov. 11, and moderated by Noelle Rolle, MBBS, assistant professor in the Division of Rheumatology, associate program director of the Rheumatology Fellowship at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, and Julia Schwartzmann-Morris, MD,…
No one-size-fits-all approach exists for the care and treatment of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and SSc with pulmonary involvement. Here, experts discuss some best clinical practices for these patients.
A recent paper in Arthritis & Rheumatology opens up the possibility of a new research avenue to treat systemic sclerosis: dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors, a previously approved therapy for type 2 diabetes.1 Work in mouse models and on skin samples from systemic sclerosis patients suggests these drugs pose a promising area of future translational…
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multi-system connective tissue disease in which skin and internal organ fibrosis are associated with an obliterative micro-vasculopathy and a degree of inflammation.1 Patients often report it takes one to three years from the appearance of the first signs and symptoms before they receive a diagnosis. The signs and symptoms of…
A study of nintedanib in patients with ILD associated with systemic sclerosis showed the treatment had only limited improvement. Although these patients had a lower rate of decline in forced vital capacity than those on placebo, nintedanib did not result in clinical benefits for other manifestations of systemic sclerosis…