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.
![](https://www.the-rheumatologist.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/lungs_BSIP-SA_Alamy_500x270-150x150.jpg)
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.
McMahan et al. examined how abnormal gastrointestinal (GI) transit may contribute to GI severity and symptoms in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). About 90% of people with SSc have GI tract involvement, and understanding the connection between GI symptoms, their severity and abnormal GI transit may permit targeted therapeutic approaches for these patients.
Melissa Griffith, MD, discussed the diagnosis and treatment of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with rheumatic diseases, including connective tissue disease and more.
Reuters Staff |
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Barrett’s esophagus is common in women with systemic sclerosis or scleroderma (SSc) and is often accompanied by dysplasia, according to the largest study on prevalence of Barrett’s esophagus in women with SSc. In Barrett’s esophagus, chronic gastric reflux causes the lining the esophagus to be replaced by metaplastic cells that may lead…
Cancer and autoimmunity have a complex relationship. In a presentation, Ami Shah, MD, MHS, discussed how to use autoantibodies as tools for cancer risk stratification, how to approach cancer screening in individuals with new-onset disease and more…
Based on a request by the ACR Insurance Subcommittee, off-label use of mycophenolate for scleroderma has been added to a Medicare-approved compendium.
CHICAGO—Findings on opioid efficacy, serum urate in osteoarthritis and arthrocentesis headlined the top research of the year discussed in the first half of a session at the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. The second half covered basic science findings, including summaries of new insights into the gender bias in autoimmune diseases, platelet microparticles in scleroderma and…
Sophia C. Weinmann, MD, & Richard D. Brasington Jr., MD, FACP |
A 58-year-old African American woman with a past medical history of hypertension (HTN), hyperlipidemia, severe gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc) presented to the emergency department with shortness of breath (SOB) and progressive bilateral lower extremity swelling for three weeks. She denied any chest pain, but endorsed generalized fatigue and dyspnea…
A recently published study gives new insight into an innovative approach to treating patients with severe scleroderma and internal organ involvement. During the six-year study, researchers demonstrated the durability of the beneficial effects of stem cell transplantation in this patient population. Their data also suggest the treatment has the potential to renormalize the autoreactive immune system…
Charles Radis, DO |
The year was 1991. It was my first Tuesday as a rheumatology fellow at the University of Pittsburgh’s Presbyterian Hospital. Navigating a maze of buildings and hallways, I delivered myself to the entrance to the scleroderma clinic. Running late and not knowing whether there was a separate entrance for staff, I clicked open the door….