Skip to main content
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases logoLink to Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
. 1982 Apr;41(2):141–146. doi: 10.1136/ard.41.2.141

Scleroderma and erosive polyarthritis: a disease entity?

R D Armstrong, T Gibson
PMCID: PMC1000898  PMID: 7073342

Abstract

We describe 4 patients with scleroderma in whom a major clinical feature was a deforming, erosive polyarthritis accompanied by positive tests for rheumatoid factor. In all but 1 case the skin involvement preceded joint symptoms, and in some cases there was evidence of systemic involvement. This destructive arthritis may represent the coexistence of 2 diseases or an extreme form of the inflammatory arthritis seen in scleroderma. Alternatively, the clinical presentation may represent an 'overlap syndrome' with features of both scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis.

Full text

PDF
141

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Alarcón-Segovia D., Fishbein E., García-Ortigoza E., Estrada-Parra S. Uracil-specific anti-R.N.A. antibodies in scleroderma. Lancet. 1975 Feb 15;1(7903):363–366. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(75)91279-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Alarcón-Segovia D., Uribe-Uribe O. Mutilans-like arthropathy in mixed connective tissue disease. Arthritis Rheum. 1979 Sep;22(9):1013–1018. doi: 10.1002/art.1780220910. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bennett R. M., O'Connell D. J. The arthritis of mixed connective tissue disease. Ann Rheum Dis. 1978 Oct;37(5):397–403. doi: 10.1136/ard.37.5.397. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Clark J. A., Winkelmann R. K., McDuffie F. C., Ward L. E. Synovial tissue changes and rheumatoid factor in scleroderma. Mayo Clin Proc. 1971 Feb;46(2):97–103. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Halla J. T., Hardin J. G. Clinical features of the arthritis of mixed connective tissue disease. Arthritis Rheum. 1978 Jun;21(5):497–503. doi: 10.1002/art.1780210502. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Harper R. A., Jackson D. C. Progressive systemic sclerosis. Br J Radiol. 1965 Nov;38(455):825–834. doi: 10.1259/0007-1285-38-455-825. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. JABLONSKA S., BUBNOW B., LUKASIAK B. Acrosclerosis: a disease sui generis or a variety of diffuse scleroderma. Br J Dermatol. 1959 Apr;71(4):123–133. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1959.tb13397.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. KELLGREN J. H., BALL J. Clinical significance of the rheumatoid serum factor. Br Med J. 1959 Feb 28;1(5121):523–531. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5121.523. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kinder R. R., Fleischmajer R. Systemic scleroderma: A review of organ systems. Int J Dermatol. 1974 Nov-Dec;13(6):382–395. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-4362.1974.tb05069.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. LEINWAND I., DURYEE A. W., RICHTER M. N. Scleroderma; based on a study of over 150 cases. Ann Intern Med. 1954 Nov;41(5):1003–1041. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-41-5-1003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lovell C. R., Jayson M. I. Joint involvement in systemic sclerosis. Scand J Rheumatol. 1979;8(3):154–160. doi: 10.3109/03009747909114448. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. O'Connell D. J., Bennett R. M. Mixed connective tissue disease--clinical and radiological aspects of 20 cases. Br J Radiol. 1977 Sep;50(597):620–625. doi: 10.1259/0007-1285-50-597-620. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Peskett S. A., Ansell B. M., Fizzman P., Howard A. Mixed connective tissue disease in children. Rheumatol Rehabil. 1978 Nov;17(4):245–248. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/17.4.245. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. RODNAN G. P. The nature of joint involvement in progressive systemic sclerosis (diffuse scleroderma). Ann Intern Med. 1962 Mar;56:422–439. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-56-3-422. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Rabinowitz J. G., Twersky J., Guttadauria M. Similar bone manifestations of scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis. Am J Roentgenol Radium Ther Nucl Med. 1974 May;121(1):35–44. doi: 10.2214/ajr.121.1.35. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ramos-Niembro F., Alarcón-Segovia D., Hernández-Ortíz J. Articular manifestations of mixed connective tissue disease. Arthritis Rheum. 1979 Jan;22(1):43–51. doi: 10.1002/art.1780220107. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rodnan G. P., Medsger T. A. The rheumatic manifestaions of progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1968 Mar-Apr;57:81–93. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Sharp G. C., Irvin W. S., Tan E. M., Gould R. G., Holman H. R. Mixed connective tissue disease--an apparently distinct rheumatic disease syndrome associated with a specific antibody to an extractable nuclear antigen (ENA). Am J Med. 1972 Feb;52(2):148–159. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(72)90064-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. TUFFANELLI D. L., WINKELMANN R. K. Systemic scleroderma, A clinical study of 727 cases. Arch Dermatol. 1961 Sep;84:359–371. doi: 10.1001/archderm.1961.01580150005001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Wild W., Beetham W. P., Jr Erosive arthropathy in systemic scleroderma. JAMA. 1975 May 5;232(5):511–512. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES