Table 5.

Demographic, disease classification features and frequency of severe organ system involvement of SSc patients with anti-U3RNP antibody first evaluated during 1972–2007

Features	African-American (n= 24)	Caucasian (n=61)	p-value
Sex (% female)	17 (71%)	42 (69%)	NS
Age at onset (mean ± SD)	38.5 ± 14.6	39.9 ± 15.4	NS
Disease Durations: Onset to diagnosis (years ± SD)	2.8 ± 4.2	2.7 ± 4.3	NS
HAQ disability index: greatest	1.6 ± 0.7	1.2 ± 0.8	NS
Diffuse disease (%)	17 (71%)	27 (44%)	0.05
Skin (mean maximum TSS mean ± SD)	17.4 + 10.4	13.3 + 11.5	NS
Vascular	12/24 (50%)	26/61 (43%)	NS
Skin	5/24 (21%)	6/61 (10%)	NS
Joint/tendon	6/24 (25%)	8/61 (13%)	NS
Skeletal Muscle	2/24 (8%)	2/61 (3%)	NS
*GI tract	6/19 (26%)	4/46 (9%)	0.05
*Pulmonary fibrosis	3/21 (14%)	5/54 (9%)	NS
*PAH	4/18 (22%)	14/47 (30%)	NS
*Heart	4/22 (18%)	9/54 (17%)	NS
Kidney	4/24 (17%)	0/61 (0%)	0.001

SD = standard deviation

HAQ = health assessment questionnaire

^*proportion of patients classified as severe with denominator being total number with objective data that permits severity assessment