Table 1.
Characteristics of subjects
| Subjects’ characteristics | Systemic sclerosis (SSc) | Limited (cutaneous) SSc | Diffuse cutaneous SSc | Healthy cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 63 | n = 40 | n = 23 | n = 26 | |
| Female: n (%) | 52 (82.5%) | 35 (87.5%) | 17 (73.9%) | 19 (73.1%) |
| Mean age in years (±SD) | 56.4 (±14.4) | 56.4 (±14.9) | 56.6 (±13.4) | 28.8 (±9.6) |
| Mean disease duration (in years ± SD) since | ||||
| First Raynaud’s | 13.3 (±12.8) | 14.6 (±12.3) | 11.1 (±13.6) | Not present |
| First non-Raynaud’s symptoms | 9.8 (±9.4) | 9.7 (±9.6) | 9.8 (±9.3) | Not present |
| Patients with Raynaud’s in the past week | ||||
| Number of patients (%) | 57 (90.4%) | 36 (90.0%) | 21 (91.3%) | Not present |
| Mean number of episodes (±SD) | 15.5 (±22.4) | 17.5 (±27.3) | 11.9 (±8.8) | |
| Mean impact on day-to-day life using VAS 0-100 (±SD) | 36.3 (±29.6) | 37.0 (±29.7) | 35.1 (±30.1) | |
| Digital ulcers/pitting scars, n (%) | 37 (58.7%) | 18 (45.0%) | 19 (82.6%) | Not present |
| Skin involvement | ||||
| Mean mRSS ± SD | 9.0 (±8.2) | 4.6 (±3.5) | 16.5 (±8.6) | Not present |
| Organ involvement, n (%) | ||||
| Lung | 23 (36.5%) | 9 (22.5%) | 14 (60.9%) | Not present |
| Gastrointestinal | 42 (66.7%) | 25 (62.5%) | 17 (73.9%) | |
| Heart | 10 (15.9%) | 3 (7.5%) | 7 (30.4%) | |
| Capillaroscopy pattern, n (%) [21] | ||||
| Early | 11 (17.5%) | 9 (22.5%) | 2 (8.7%) | |
| Active | 25 (39.7%) | 18 (45.0%) | 7 (30.4%) | |
| Late | 24 (38.1%) | 11 (27.5%) | 13 (56.5%) | |
| Non-SSc | 1 (1.6%) | 1 (2.5%) | 0 | |
| Not done | 2 (3.2%) | 1 (2.5%) | 1 (4.3%) | 26 (100%) |
| Current medication, n (%) | ||||
| Iloprost | 38 (60.3%) | 27 (67.5%) | 11 (47.8%) | 0 |
| Oral vasodilating drugsa | 42 (66.7%) | 25 (62.5%) | 17 (73.9%) | 0 |
One patient with limited systemic sclerosis (SSc sine scleroderma) was included in the limited cutaneous SSc subgroup
VAS visual analogue scale, mRSS modified Rodnan skin score
aCalcium channel blockers, AT1 receptor antagonists, ACE inhibitors, endothelin receptor antagonists, PDE-5 inhibitors; alpha receptor antagonists