Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients.
| Characteristic | All patients (50)* | SSc Patients (35)** |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years, mean ± SD) | 53.25 ± 17.1 | 53.1 ± 16.1 |
| Female patients, n (%) | 48 (96) | 33 (94) |
| Disease duration (months, mean ± SD) | N/A | 38.2 ± 45.1 |
| Limited cutaneous SSc, n (%) | N/A | 24 (68.6) |
| Modified Rodnan skin score (mean ± SD) | N/A | 9.0 ± 7.2 |
| Anti-centromere antibodies positivity, n (%) | 25 (50) | 13 (37.1) |
| Anti-Scl70 antibodies positivity, n (%) | 20 (40) | 19 (54.3) |
| ANA positivity without SSc Ab, n (%) | 2 (4) | 0 (0) |
| Other SSc-related antibodies positivity | 3 (6) | 3 (8.6) |
| Patients with a history of digital ulcers, n (%) | N/A | 16 (45.7) |
| Patients with active or recurrent digital ulcers, n (%) | N/A | 4 (11.4) |
| History of calcinosis, n (%) | N/A | 6 (17.1) |
| Gastrointestinal involvement, n (%) | N/A | 11 (31.4) |
| Musculoskeletal involvement, n (%) | N/A | 5 (14.3) |
| ILD on HRCT, n (%) | N/A | 14 (40) |
| Decrease in DLCO on PFTs, n (%) | N/A | 22 (62.9) |
| DLCO, % (mean ± SD) | N/A | 76.0 ± 17.1 |
| Decrease in FVC on PFTs, n (%) | N/A | 4 (11.4) |
| FVC, % (mean ± SD) | N/A | 103.9 ± 18.2 |
| Pulmonary arterial hypertension, n (%) | N/A | 0 (0) |
| PASP on echocardiography, mmHg (mean ± SD) | N/A | 26.2 ± 5.6 |
| Myocardial involvement, n (%) | N/A | 5 (14.3) |
| Elevation of cardiac biomarkers, n (%) | N/A | 13 (37.1) |
| Scleroderma pattern at NVC, n (%) | 50 (100) | 35 (100) |
| Calcium-antagonist therapy, n (%) | 50 (100) | 35 (100) |
| Intravenous iloprost therapy, n (%) | 0 (0) | 7 (20) |
| PDE5-inhibitor therapy, n (%) | 0 (0) | 5 (14.3) |
| Bosentan therapy, n (%) | 0 (0) | 2 (5.7) |
| Methotrexate therapy, n (%) | N/A | 17 (48.6) |
| Mycophenolate mofetil therapy, n (%) | N/A | 12 (34.3) |
*Including patients fulfilling the 2013 ACR/EULAR classification criteria and patients classified as VEDOSS. **Only patients fulfilling the 2013 ACR/EULAR classification criteria. N, number; SD, standard deviation; Ab, antibodies; ILD, interstitial lung disease; HRTC, high-resolution computed tomography; DLCO, diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide; PFTs, pulmonary function tests; FVC, forced vital capacity; NVF, nailfold videocapillaroscopy; PDE5, phosphodiesterase-5.