Gender differences in early systemic sclerosis patients: a report from the EULAR scleroderma trials and research group (EUSTAR) database.

OBJECTIVES: To describe differences in clinical presentation between men and women in a large group of patients with early (<3 years' duration) systemic sclerosis (SSc) according to disease subsets. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of the prospective EULAR Scleroderma Trial and Research database (EUSTAR) was performed. Patients fulfilling preliminary ACR 1980 classification criteria for SSc, with less than 3 years from the first non-Raynaud's symptom at first entry, were selected. A group of patients with less than 3 years from the first SSc symptom, including Raynaud's phenomenon, was also analysed. SSc related variables, including antibodies, SSc subsets, disease activity and organ involvement were included. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 1,027 patients were included, 90% Caucasian, 80% women, and 40% with diffuse cutaneous disease. In early stages of SSc, men showed more frequently than women active disease, diffuse cutaneous subset, anti-Scl-70 antibodies, elevated acute phase reactants, muscular and pulmonary involvement. Differences between men and women were confirmed in the limited, but not in the diffuse SSc subset. The results were similar when 650 patients with less than three years from the first SSc symptom, including Raynaud's phenomenon, were analysed. CONCLUSIONS: In early stages of SSc, men present signs and symptoms of more severe disease. In the limited disease subset, men might appear with clinical features and organ involvement similar to those of the diffuse subgroup. In clinical practice, the identification of such differences might help to select the appropriate management for each particular patient.

[Assessment of serum IgG activity correlation against cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies, topoisomerase I and centromere proteins in Mexican patients with progressive systemic sclerosis]. / Evaluación de la correlación de la actividad de IgG sérica contra péptido citrulinado cíclico, topoisomerasa I y proteínas de centrómero en pacientes mexicanos con esclerosis sistémica progresiva.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate sera titers for antibodies anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide and their correlation against sera levels of anti-topoisomerase I and anti-centromere antibodies in Mexican patients with systemic sclerosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Consecutive outpatients with systemic sclerosis who attending to rheumatology clinic at a second level hospital facility. The antibodies anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide, anti-topoisomerase I and anti-centromere were determined by enzymatic immunoassay (ELISA). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Spearman for correlation between numerical variables with nonparametric distribution. Fisher exact test or chi2 to compare proportions and Student t test for dimensional variables. RESULTS: Thirty female patients were included; aged 53 +/- 13, the disease duration at the time of the study was 10 +/- 9. Twenty-three patients (77%) exhibited diffuse disease. Anti-centromere, anti-topoisomerase I, and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide were detected in nine, nine and three patients respectively. The correlation analysis showed the independence of autoantibodies anti-centromere and anti-topoisomerase I with respect to the levels of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the low frequency of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies in patients with systemic sclerosis. A lack of correlation between autoantibodies considered as "mutually excluded" anti-topoisomerase I and anti-centromere, indicating that the analysis of the relevance for anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide in systemic sclerosis must include other clinical and serological variables.

Clinical risk assessment of organ manifestations in systemic sclerosis: a report from the EULAR Scleroderma Trials And Research group database.

BACKGROUND: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystem autoimmune disease, which is classified into a diffuse cutaneous (dcSSc) and a limited cutaneous (lcSSc) subset according to the skin involvement. In order to better understand the vascular, immunological and fibrotic processes of SSc and to guide its treatment, the EULAR Scleroderma Trials And Research (EUSTAR) group was formed in June 2004. AIMS AND METHODS: EUSTAR collects prospectively the Minimal Essential Data Set (MEDS) on all sequential patients fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology diagnostic criteria in participating centres. We aimed to characterise demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics of disease presentation in SSc and analysed EUSTAR baseline visits. RESULTS: In April 2006, a total of 3656 patients (1349 with dcSSc and 2101 with lcSSc) were enrolled in 102 centres and 30 countries. 1330 individuals had autoantibodies against Scl70 and 1106 against anticentromere antibodies. 87% of patients were women. On multivariate analysis, scleroderma subsets (dcSSc vs lcSSc), antibody status and age at onset of Raynaud's phenomenon, but not gender, were found to be independently associated with the prevalence of organ manifestations. Autoantibody status in this analysis was more closely associated with clinical manifestations than were SSc subsets. CONCLUSION: dcSSc and lcSSc subsets are associated with particular organ manifestations, but in this analysis the clinical distinction seemed to be superseded by an antibody-based classification in predicting some scleroderma complications. The EUSTAR MEDS database facilitates the analysis of clinical patterns in SSc, and contributes to the standardised assessment and monitoring of SSc internationally.