Systemic sclerosis

2013 ◽  
pp. 971-988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher P. Denton ◽  
Pia Moinzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Systemic Sclerosis ◽  
Cell Injury ◽  
Rna Polymerase Iii ◽  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Clinical Markers ◽  
Topoisomerase 1 ◽  
Skin Sclerosis ◽  
Female Predominance ◽  
Organ Manifestations ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial

The term ’scleroderma’ describes a group of conditions in which the development of thickened, fibrotic skin is a cardinal feature. This includes localized forms of scleroderma (e.g. morphoea) and also systemic forms of the disease that are more correctly termed systemic sclerosis. Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multiorgan, autoimmune disease that has a high clinical burden and mortality, due to affecting the skin as well as internal organs. As with other related diseases there is a female predominance and marked clinical diversity. The pathogenesis of SSc is not fully elucidated; it includes endothelial cell injury fibroblast activation and autoimmunity that lead to skin and internal organ manifestations. The majority of cases exhibit characteristic serum autoantibodies. Some of these antibodies are scleroderma-specific reactivities including anti-centromere (ACA), anti-topoisomerase-1 (ATA or Scl 70) or anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies. These anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) patterns are generally mutually exclusive and serve as useful clinical markers of disease subgroups. Additional subsetting of scleroderma cases, based on the extent of skin sclerosis, permits classification into limited and diffuse subsets. Because of the heterogeneity of the disease patients may suffer from different organ manifestations, such as lung fibrosis, hypertensive renal crisis, severe cardiac disease, gastrointestinal involvement, and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Although outcomes have improved recently, systemic sclerosis still has the highest case-specific mortality of any of the autoimmune rheumatic diseases and requires careful and systematic investigation, management and follow-up. Treatment includes symptomatic strategies with attention to each involved organ system; it is still an area where therapeutic progress and better understanding of pathogenesis is increasingly anticipated.

Systemic sclerosis

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher P. Denton ◽  
Pia Moinzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Systemic Sclerosis ◽  
Cell Injury ◽  
Rna Polymerase Iii ◽  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Clinical Markers ◽  
Topoisomerase 1 ◽  
Skin Sclerosis ◽  
Female Predominance ◽  
Organ Manifestations ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial

The term 'scleroderma' describes a group of conditions in which the development of thickened, fibrotic skin is a cardinal feature. This includes localized forms of scleroderma (e.g. morphoea) and also systemic forms of the disease that are more correctly termed systemic sclerosis. Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multiorgan, autoimmune disease that has a high clinical burden and mortality, due to affecting the skin as well as internal organs. As with other related diseases there is a female predominance and marked clinical diversity. The pathogenesis of SSc is not fully elucidated; it includes endothelial cell injury fibroblast activation and autoimmunity that lead to skin and internal organ manifestations. The majority of cases exhibit characteristic serum autoantibodies. Some of these antibodies are scleroderma-specific reactivities including anti-centromere (ACA), anti-topoisomerase-1 (ATA or Scl 70) or anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies. These anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) patterns are generally mutually exclusive and serve as useful clinical markers of disease subgroups. Additional subsetting of scleroderma cases, based on the extent of skin sclerosis, permits classification into limited and diffuse subsets. Because of the heterogeneity of the disease patients may suffer from different organ manifestations, such as lung fibrosis, hypertensive renal crisis, severe cardiac disease, gastrointestinal involvement, and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Although outcomes have improved recently, systemic sclerosis still has the highest case-specific mortality of any of the autoimmune rheumatic diseases and requires careful and systematic investigation, management and follow-up. Treatment includes symptomatic strategies with attention to each involved organ system; it is still an area where therapeutic progress and better understanding of pathogenesis is increasingly anticipated.

scholarly journals O18 Integrated molecular analysis of systemic sclerosis skin and blood shows significant differences between major autoantibody subgroups

Rheumatology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 60 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina E Clark ◽  
Corrado Campochiaro ◽  
Eszter Csomor ◽  
Adam Taylor ◽  
Katherine Nevin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Systemic Sclerosis ◽  
Whole Blood ◽  
Serum Markers ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Longitudinal Change ◽  
Beta Catenin ◽  
Skin Score ◽  
Topoisomerase 1 ◽  
Organ Manifestations

Abstract Background/Aims  The major antinuclear autoantibodies of systemic sclerosis (SSc) associate with different skin score trajectories and risk of internal organ manifestations. To elucidate molecular differences between ANA-defined subgroups, we utilised the prospective BIOPSY cohort of well-characterised SSc patients. Methods  The prospectively collected BIOPSY cohort recruited 52 SSc patients (21 early dcSSc, 15 established dcSSc, 16 lcSSc) and 16 healthy controls (HC). 36 (69%) of the SSc patients are female. Mean disease duration in the early dcSSc cohort was 24 months (sd 12 months), and in established dcSSc was 11.3 years. ANA frequency in BIOPSY reflected the overall dcSSc population: anti-topoisomerase-1 (ATA) n = 14 (27%), anti-RNA pol III (ARA) n = 12 (23%) and other n = 26 (50%). Mean baseline skin score (MRSS) for early dcSSc was 21 (sd 11.2). At a group level mRSS peak was 21.9 (11.8) at 3 months and fell to 19.1(10.5) at 12 months. Serum biomarkers of ECM turnover and fibrosis were measured three monthly and genome-wide transcriptomic profiling of whole skin and whole blood performed by RNA-Seq. Statistical analysis used RStudio with ANOVA, and Tukey post-hoc test. Differential gene expression used the Bioconductor limma software, with standard thresholds for significance. Results  At baseline, there were differences in soluble markers between clinical SSc sugroups and HC but not for major ANA subgroups. However, we found clear differences in early dcSSc analysed by major ANA subset for longitudinal change in serum markers of fibrosis and in whole skin gene expression, suggesting a mechanistic basis for the distinct clinical phenotypes associated with hallmark ANAs. During follow-up, significant differences were observed in HA, TIMP1, and PIIINP at 6 and 12 months (p < 0.05), with stable levels in ATA+ patients compared to progressively increased levels in the other subgroups. There were 564 significantly differentially expressed genes in skin between early dcSSc and HC. Unsupervised clustering differentiated patients with ARA and ATA positivity with early dcSSc. 54 genes were significantly differentially expressed in skin between ATA and ARA patients. Whilst 179 genes were differentially expressed in whole blood between early dcSSc compared with HC, no genes could significantly differentiate ATA from ARA. Functional analysis using HALLMARK pathway analysis identified both shared pathways associated with SSc across ANA groups (e.g. TGF beta signaling, IL6 JAK STAT3 signalling, inflammatory response), and pathways only upregulated in patients with ATA (e.g. Wnt beta catenin signaling, Notch signaling), and ARA (e.g. interferon gamma response, adipogenesis). Conclusion  We have found significant differences in skin gene expression and longitudinal change in serum markers by autoantibody specificity in dcSSc. Our findings have implications for SSc pathogenesis and support stratification by ANA subgroup in clinical studies. Disclosure  K.E. Clark: None. C. Campochiaro: None. E. Csomor: Corporate appointments; employee of GSK. A. Taylor: Corporate appointments; employee of GSK. K. Nevin: Corporate appointments; employee of GSK. N. Galwey: Corporate appointments; employee of GSK. M.A. Morse: Corporate appointments; employee of GSK. V.H. Ong: None. E. Derrett-Smith: None. N. Wisniacki: Corporate appointments; employee of GSK. S. Flint: Corporate appointments; employee of GSK. C.P. Denton: Consultancies; Actelion, GlaxoSmithKline, Bayer, Sanofi, lnventiva, Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, Bristol Myers Squibb, CSL Behring, UCB, Leadiant Biosciences, Corbus, Servier, Arxx Therapeutics.

scholarly journals Circulating Tissue Inhibitor of Matrix Metalloproteinase-4 (TIMP-4) in Systemic Sclerosis Patients with Elevated Pulmonary Arterial Pressure

2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gialafos J. Elias ◽  
Moyssakis Ioannis ◽  
Psaltopoulou Theodora ◽  
Papadopoulos P. Dimitrios ◽  
Perea Despoina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systemic Sclerosis ◽  
Lung Fibrosis ◽  
Pulmonary Function Tests ◽  
Systolic Pressure ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Pulmonary Artery Systolic Pressure ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Skin Sclerosis ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial

Decreased levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) or excess levels of their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) may contribute to dysregulation of extracellular matrix turnover in systemic sclerosis (SSc). In a cross-sectional study of 106 SSc patients, we measured serum levels of TIMP-4 which is preferentially expressed in cardiovascular structures and searched for correlations with simultaneously performed echocardiography measurements of pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), myocardial performance, and pulmonary function tests. TIMP-4, but not MMP-9, levels were significantly raised in patients with SSc than controls. However, in the subgroup of patients with PASP measurements lower to 40 mmHg (n=69), TIMP-4 levels were comparable to controls irrespective of the presence of diffuse or limited skin involvement, or lung fibrosis. Individual PASP measurements suggestive of pulmonary hypertension were associated with increased TIMP-4 serum levels (P=.03), independently of age, extent of skin sclerosis, or lung fibrosis, suggesting a cardiopulmonary vasculature-specific role of TIMP-4 activation in SSc.

Pulmonary Hypertension Complicating Connective Tissue Disease

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (05) ◽  
pp. 619-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajan Saggar ◽  
John Belperio ◽  
Elizabeth Volkmann ◽  
Augustine Chung ◽  
Joseph Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Hypertension ◽  
Systemic Sclerosis ◽  
Connective Tissue ◽  
Connective Tissue Disease ◽  
Pulmonary Complications ◽  
Clinical Markers ◽  
Major Focus ◽  
Specific Autoantibody ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) may complicate connective tissue disease (CTD; particularly systemic sclerosis [scleroderma]), and is associated with increased mortality. More than 70% of cases of PH complicating CTD occur in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), which is the major focus of this article. Pulmonary complications (i.e., interstitial lung disease [ILD] and PH) are the leading causes of SSc-related deaths. “Isolated” PH (i.e., without ILD) complicates SSc in 7.5 to 20% of cases; secondary PH may also occur in patients with SSc-associated ILD. Several clinical markers and specific autoantibody profiles have been associated with PH in SSc. The role of PH-specific therapy in improving CTD-PH outcomes is under investigation, as prognosis and responsiveness to therapy appear to be worse in SSc-associated PH compared with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. We discuss medical therapies for CTD-associated PH and the role of lung transplantation for patients who fail medical therapy.

scholarly journals Skin score as a predictor of prolonged QTc in systemic sclerosis.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Nafiseh Abdolahi ◽  
Mehrdad Aghaei ◽  
Ahmad Mohammadi ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Systemic Sclerosis ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Rna Polymerase Iii ◽  
Cardiac Conduction ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Qtc Interval ◽  
Skin Score ◽  
Duration Of Disease ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial ◽  
American Society

Abstract Background Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease characterized by endothelial dysfunction and fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Cardiac involvement during systemic sclerosis can be primary or secondary to pulmonary arterial hypertension and renal pathology. Among the disorders in systemic sclerosis, prolongation of QTc time is also associated with more anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies, longer duration and severity of disease. Methods This case-control study was performed on 35 patients with systemic scleroderma who filled in the American Society of Rheumatism (ACR / EULAR criteria) and 35 healthy subjects prior to entering the study. Then, the QTc distance was extracted from the electrocardiogram and calculated using the formula. The measured QTc distance in the electrocardiogram, QTc> 440ms in men and QTc> 460ms in women, was defined as QTc long. Then the patients and the control group underwent echocardiography and changes in QTc interval and its relation with echocardiographic findings was evaluated. Results The results of this study indicated a significant relationship between QTc distance in patients with scleroderma compared with healthy controls. There was also a significant relationship between QTc and Skin Score of patients. However, there was no significant correlation between QTc distance and age, gender, duration of disease, Anti-Centromere, Anti-Scl70, and pulmonary artery pressure. Conclusion This study concludes that patients with scleroderma are at high risk for cardiac conduction impairment. The only factor that significantly correlated with QTc was the Skin Score of the patients.

scholarly journals A Unique Presentation of Anti-RNA Polymerase III Positive Systemic Sclerosis Sine Scleroderma

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Cody M. Lee ◽  
Diana Girnita ◽  
Arundhati Sharma ◽  
Surabhi Khanna ◽  
Jean M. Elwing
Keyword(s):  
Systemic Sclerosis ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Rna Polymerase Iii ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Autoimmune Disorder ◽  
Scleroderma Renal Crisis ◽  
Polymerase Iii ◽  
Digital Ischemia ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial

Systemic sclerosis is a rare autoimmune disorder with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations and a multitude of autoantibodies that are associated with it. In the past several years, advances in serologic testing have led to research indicating important prognostic and phenotypic associations with certain subsets of autoantibodies. In particular, anti-RNA polymerase III (anti-RNAP III) has been associated with diffuse cutaneous disease, scleroderma renal crisis, a temporal relationship with malignancy, myositis, synovitis, joint contractures, and gastric antral vascular ectasia. However, anti-RNAP III has not been associated with systemic sclerosis sine scleroderma. We describe a patient with an atypical presentation of anti-RNAP III positive systemic sclerosis sine scleroderma who presented without the typical features of anti-RNAP III disease. Instead, she presented with critical digital ischemia, pulmonary arterial hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease, interstitial lung disease, and no clinically detectable sclerodactyly.

Systemic sclerosis

2021 ◽  
pp. 179-184
Author(s):  
Eliza Chakravarty
Keyword(s):  
Systemic Sclerosis ◽  
Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Pregnancy Outcomes ◽  
Disease Onset ◽  
Scleroderma Renal Crisis ◽  
Cutaneous Manifestations ◽  
Organ Manifestations ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial ◽  
Relative Prevalence ◽  
Renal Crisis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by a non-inflammatory vasculopathy as well as fibrosis of the skin and vital organs. It presents in two distinct subtypes depending on the extent of cutaneous involvement, with each subtype (diffuse vs limited SSc) having different relative prevalence of extra-cutaneous manifestations. Experience describing pregnancy outcomes in SSc is limited because of disease onset mainly in the 4th and 5th decade. Common symptoms, including cutaneous fibrosis and Raynaud’s phenomenon, are not worsened, and may even improve during pregnancy. Severe organ manifestations of SSc, including pulmonary fibrosis, scleroderma renal crisis, and pulmonary arterial hypertension, are associated with increased risks of pregnancy complications and can be more difficult to treat during pregnancy. Therapies for SSc are mostly directed at managing symptoms with vasodilators, angiotensin-renin antagonists, proton pump inhibitors, and immunosuppressives in the case of pulmonary fibrosis.

scholarly journals Successful Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Systemic Sclerosis with Anticentriole Antibody

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Yusho Ishii ◽  
Hiroshi Fujii ◽  
Koichiro Sugimura ◽  
Tsuyoshi Shirai ◽  
Yosuke Hoshi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systemic Sclerosis ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Multiple Organ ◽  
Exertional Dyspnea ◽  
Mean Pulmonary Arterial Pressure ◽  
Therapeutic Drugs ◽  
Skin Sclerosis ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial ◽  
Minute Walk Distance

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by skin sclerosis and multiple organ damages which may cause mortality and is usually accompanied with several specific autoantibodies, each of which is associated with characteristic complications. Among them, anticentriole antibody is recently reported to be highly associated with SSc-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (SSc-PAH). In general, several vasodilators are used as therapeutic drugs for SSc-PAH, whereas immunosuppressive therapies are not. Here, we report the case of a 62-year-old female with anticentriole antibody-positive SSc-PAH treated with immunosuppressants and vasodilators. She presented with two-year exertional dyspnea and was diagnosed with PAH and SSc owing to the centriole staining pattern and other symptoms without digital sclerosis. Oral vasodilators were initially administered but were not sufficiently effective on dyspnea. Immunosuppressants such as prednisolone and cyclophosphamide were started. Both of them improved mean pulmonary arterial pressure and 6-minute walk distance, and the anticentriole antibody also disappeared. In this case, SSc-PAH with anticentriole antibody was properly diagnosed and immunosuppressants and vasodilators improved the hemodynamics of PAH with anticentriole antibody and stably maintained it and, in addition, reduced the titer of anticentriole antibody. This indicates that anticentriole antibody might represent a good responsive group to therapies among subgroups of patients with SSc-PAH.

scholarly journals AB0557 CO-EXISTENCE OF SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS HALLMARK AUTOANTIBODIES ASSOCIATES WITH DISTINCT CLINICAL PHENOTYPE

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1575.2-1575
Author(s):  
C. Campochiaro ◽  
K. Clark ◽  
L. Host ◽  
A. Sari ◽  
S. Nihtyanova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systemic Sclerosis ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Clinical Features ◽  
Topoisomerase I ◽  
Clinical Phenotype ◽  
Rna Polymerase Iii ◽  
Scleroderma Renal Crisis ◽  
Fisher Exact Test ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial

Background:Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is typically manifests with distinct SSc-specific antibodies (SSc-Abs): anti-topoisomerase I (ATA), anti-centromere (ACA), anti-RNA polymerase III (ARA), anti-U3RNP (u3RNP), anti-U1RNP (U1RNP), anti-PmScl (PmScl), anti-Ku (Ku) and anti-Th/T0 (Th/T0), each being characterised by different clinical features and prognosis. The presence of >1 SSc-Abs is rare with minimum data about these patients’ clinical phenotype.Objectives:To describe and compare the clinical features of SSc patients with >1 SSc-AbMethods:The autoantibody profiles of 2799 SSc patients from February 2001 to June 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with >1 SSc-Abs were identified. Clinical features were collected and compared to historical cohorts of SSc patients with single SSc-Ab positivity. Patients were excluded if treated prior to their immunology test with rituximab, iv immunoglobulins or stem cell transplantation. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher exact test.Results:72 patients (2.6%) with >1 SSc-Ab were identified. Full clinical data were available for 63 patients. 60 patients (2.1%) had double Ab positivity and 3 patients had triple Ab positivity (0.1%). 13 Ab combinations were present. U1RNP and ATA was the most frequent combination (35%), patients were significantly younger (51.38 years) than both U1RNP (58.64 years, p=0.050) and ATA (62.03 years, p=0.002) patients and more commonly of diffuse subset (dcSSc) (p=0.001 and p=0.041 respectively). Compared to ATA patients overlap features were more frequent (43% vs 15%, p=0.004) including inflammatory arthritis (p=0.025) and myositis (p=0.013) (Table 1). U1RNP and ACA had a significantly higher prevalence of pulmonary arterial hypertension compared to U1RNP (p=0.039) and ACA (p=0.022) patients, and compared to ACA patients they were younger (57.88 vs 68.75, p=0.015) with a higher incidence of myositis (p=0.001). U1RNP and ARA patients were more frequently dcSSc subtype compared to U1RNP patients (75% vs 21%, p=0.040). U1RNP and PmScl patients had a higher prevalence of myositis compared to U1RNP patients (p=0.006). ATA and ACA patients behaved similarly to ATA patients with a significantly higher prevalence of lung fibrosis (p=0.006) and myositis (p=0.041) compared to ACA. ACA and PmScl (7%) had higher prevalence of myositis compared to ACA patients (p=0.04).Table 1. Frequency of clinical features in some of the double antibody group combinations, compared to our cohort of patients with only one of the SSc specific antibody. Significant p values (<0.05) highlighted in bold. ILD (interstitial lung disease), PAH (pulmonary arterial hypertension), SRC (scleroderma renal crisis).Conclusion:Coexistence of hallmark autoantibodies is exceedingly rare in SSc patients. When combined, both SSc-Abs have the potential to synergistically interact and modify the clinical phenotype.Disclosure of Interests:Corrado Campochiaro Speakers bureau: Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, GSK, SOBI, Kristina Clark: None declared, Lauren Host: None declared, Alper Sari: None declared, Svetlana Nihtyanova: None declared, Christopher Denton Grant/research support from: GlaxoSmithKline, CSL Behring, and Inventiva, Consultant of: Medscape, Roche-Genentech, Actelion, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Aventis, Inventiva, CSL Behring, Boehringer Ingelheim, Corbus Pharmaceuticals, Acceleron, Curzion and Bayer, Voon Ong: None declared

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