Pulmonary hypertension and Raynaud’s phenomenon are just some of the symptoms patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) may experience. Here are insights into the diagnosis and management of SSc.
Precision Medicine Benefits Patients with Systemic Sclerosis
Experts provided insights into how precision medicine is being used to address the needs and care of patients with systemic sclerosis.
3 AC&R Study Summaries: Fractures in Patients with SSc, Clinical Response in JIA, & TV & the Public Perception of Gout
Fractures in Patients with SSc By Zsuzsanna McMahan, MD, MHS Why was this study done? To minimize disability due to systemic sclerosis (SSc), it’s important to prevent and manage complications. Many SSc complications and related medications may increase the risk for osteoporosis and fracture. We sought to identify modifiable risk factors for fracture in patients…
Scleroderma & ILD: Practical Tips on the Diagnosis & Management of Systemic Sclerosis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease
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.
Scleroderma & the Gut: New Frontiers in Diagnosis & Tips on Management
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.
Tocilizumab Effective for Early SSc-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease
Treatment with tocilizimab preserved lung function in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and interstitial lung disease (ILD) regardless of a patient’s level of lung involvement, according to a recent study.
Rituximab Seems Safe & Effective for Systemic Sclerosis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Rituximab seemed to be a safe and effective treatment for systemic sclerosis (SSc) in a placebo-controlled validation trial in Japan.1 “A number of studies have examined B-cell depletion therapy for systemic sclerosis, and many of them have suggested that [this] is effective in treating systemic sclerosis,” Ayumi Yoshizaki, MD, tells Reuters Health…
Insights Into Ulnar Artery Occlusion in Systemic Sclerosis
A 51-year-old man with a history of limited systemic sclerosis with Raynaud’s phenomenon and pulmonary hypertension being treated with tadalafil and macitentan presented to a clinic with ulceration of his right pinkie. The patient had injured the finger two months earlier. He reported poor healing and the presence of a persistent ulcer since the injury….
FDA Approves Tocilizumab to Treat Systemic Sclerosis-Associated ILD
Subcutaneous tocilizumab is the first biologic agent approved by the FDA treat patients with systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease.
Barrett’s Esophagus Common in Women with Scleroderma
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…