Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with SSc and healthy controls
| Scleroderma | Healthy control | |
|---|---|---|
| n | 38 | 53 |
| Female, n | 33 | 41 |
| Age, years | 56±2 | 52±3 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 27±1 | 23±1 |
| CVD risk factor, n (%) | 10 (26) | 0 (0) |
| Medication use, n (%) | ||
| CCB | 32 (84) | 0 (0) |
| PDE5I | 9 (24) | 0 (0) |
| ERA | 6 (16) | 0 (0) |
| PCA | 2 (5) | 0 (0) |
| Immunosuppression | 11 (29) | 0 (0) |
| SSc disease duration, years | 9.5±1.5 | – |
| SSc subtype, n (%) | ||
| Early | 5 (13) | – |
| Limited | 33 (87) | – |
| Diffuse | 5 (13) | – |
| mRSS | 7.1±1.1 | – |
| End-stage vasculopathy, n (%) | ||
| DU | 14 (37) | – |
| PAH | 13 (34) | – |
| SRC | 1 (2) | – |
| Antibody presence, n (%) | ||
| ANA | 38 (100) | – |
| SCL70 | 5 (13) | – |
| Anti-centromeric | 7 (18) | – |
| RNA polymerase III | 6 (16) | – |
Data are mean±SE unless otherwise stated
BMI body mass index, CVD cardiovascular disease risk factor (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia), CCB calcium channel blocker, PDE5I phosphodiesterase inhibitor, ERA endothelin receptor antagonist, PCA prostacyclin analog, SSc scleroderma, mRSS modified Rodnan skin score, DU digital ulcer, PAH pulmonary arterial hypertension, SRC scleroderma renal crisis, ANA antinuclear antibody, SCL70 anti-Scl-70 antibody