Table 3. Comparison of clinical, biochemical, immunological, and pathological features of human and avian SSc.
| Human SSc | Av ian SSc | |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical features | ||
| Disease presentation | Subtle, middle-age | Acute, early in life |
| Skin fibrosis | Present | Present |
| Esophageal fibrosis | Present | Present |
| Lung fibrosis | Present | Present |
| Kidney involvement | Present | Present |
| Heart involvement | Present | Present |
| Polyarthritis | Present | Present |
| Eye involvement | Debated | Absent |
|
Autoimmune features
Autoantibodies |
||
| ANA | Present | Present |
| Anti-Scl-70 | Present | Absent |
| Anti-centromere | Present | Present |
| Anti-cytoplasmic | Present | Present |
| Autoreactive T cells | Present | Present |
| Etiology | ||
| Genetic susceptibility | Necessary, not sufficient | Necessary and sufficient |
| Environmental factors | Hypothesized | Not important |
| Pathology | ||
| Fibroblast alterations | Present | Present |
| Endothelial alterations | Present | Present |
| Smooth muscle alterations | Present | Present |