Scleroderma News

Oral and ocular symptoms among patients with rheumatoid arthritis may be secondary Sjögren's syndrome and should be investigated with salivary biopsy, according to researchers at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Brazil.

Although symptoms common to systemic sclerosis are frequently seen in patients with morphea, it is likely that the two are separate diseases, according to research conducted in four French academic dermatology departments.

Unresolved issues were present in the treatment and diagnosis of early pulmonary hypertension in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases, who are at higher risk for pulmonary arterial hypertension, according to researchers at the Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine in Ankara, Turkey.

Patients with autoimmune diseases who developed Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia were more likely to have taken high doses of glucocorticoids, according to recently published research.

Subclasses of serum immunoglobulin G were distinct but varied across autoimmune disorders, according to recently published research.

Transthoracic sonography may be a sensitive, non-invasive tool for identifying and monitoring early-stage interstitial lung disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus, according to researchers from the Medical University of Graz in Graz, Austria.

Systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases were shown to be more prevalent in areas polluted with fine particulate matter, according to results of a study conducted in two areas of Canada.

Women of reproductive age with high blood, hair or urinary levels of mercury from fish consumption were more likely to show positive serum antinuclear antibodies.

Systolic pulmonary artery pressure higher than 36 mm Hg increased the risk of mortality in patients with systemic sclerosis as measured by electrocardiography, according to recently published study data.

Controlling procedural pain in the debridement of scleroderma-associated digital ulcers led to better outcomes and treatment adherence among patients, according to new research.