The effect of silver fibre gloves on Raynaud's phenomenon in patients with systemic sclerosis: a double-blind randomized crossover trial.

OBJECTIVES: Silver fibre gloves transport heat from the palm to the fingers, possibly reducing the burden of RP in SSc patients. We aim to evaluate the clinical efficiency of this intervention. METHODS: A multicentre, double-blind, randomized trial was performed, accounting for interindividual differences and external factors using a crossover design. Patients were randomized in two groups: group 1 wore 8% silver fibre gloves in period 1 and normal gloves in period 2 and group 2 vice versa. Each period lasted 6 weeks. The primary outcome was the Raynaud Condition Score (RCS) over time (minimal clinical important difference 1.4), assessed three times per week using an online questionnaire. Secondary outcomes included vascular complications and Scleroderma-Health Assessment Questionnaire (SHAQ). Outcomes were evaluated before unblinding using linear mixed models. RESULTS: A total of 85 SSc patients were included, with 76 completing the study. The mean RCS during 2 weeks before the study (i.e. without gloves) was 6.4 (s.d. 1.6). Both with silver fibre gloves and normal gloves the mean RCS decreased to 3.9 (s.d. 2.3) with a similar course over time. There was no difference in mean RCS over time between the type of gloves [ß = 0.067 (95% CI -0.006, 0.19)]. Of secondary outcomes, total SHAQ [ß = 0.036 (95% CI 0.026, 0.046)] was slightly higher with silver fibre gloves, which is clinically irrelevant. Three patients developed new digital ulcers with normal gloves vs one patient with silver fibre gloves [odds ratio 3.2 (95% CI 0.32, 31.1)]. CONCLUSIONS: Wearing gloves in SSc patients clearly decreases the RP burden. Our results do not support the hypothesis that increased heat transport of 8% silver fibre gloves is associated with less disease burden as measured in this study by the RCS compared with normal gloves. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Netherlands Trial register (https://www.trialregister.nl/) NL7904.

Sex influence on outcomes of patients with systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease: a EUSTAR database analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients. We aimed to investigate the impact of sex on SSc-ILD. METHODS: EUSTAR SSc patients with radiologically confirmed ILD and available percentage predicted forced vital capacity (%pFVC) were included. Demographics and disease features were recorded. A change in %pFVC over 12 months (s.d. 6) (cohort 1) was classified into stable (≤4%), mild (5-9%) and large progression (≥10%). In those with 2-year longitudinal %pFVC (cohort 2), the %pFVC change at each 12-month (s.d. 6) interval was calculated. Logistic regression analyses [odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI] and Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age and %pFVC were applied. RESULTS: A total of 1136 male and 5253 female SSc-ILD patients were identified. Males were significantly younger, had a shorter disease duration, had a higher prevalence of CRP elevation and frequently had diffuse cutaneous involvement. In cohort 1 (1655 females and 390 males), a higher percentage of males had stable ILD (74.4% vs 69.4%, P = 0.056). In multivariable analysis, disease duration and %pFVC [OR 0.99 (95% CI 0.98, 0.99) and OR 0.97 (95% CI 0.95, 0.99), respectively] in males and age, %pFVC and anti-centromere [OR 1.02 (95% CI 1.00, 1.04), OR 0.97 (95% CI 0.96, 0.98) and OR 0.39 (95% CI 0.245, 0.63), respectively] in females were associated with large progression. The 1-year mortality rate was higher in males (5.1% vs 2.5%, P = 0.013). In cohort 2 (849 females and 209 males), a higher percentage of females showed periods of large progression (11.7% vs 7.7%, P = 0.023), the percentage of patients with none, one or two periods of worsening was not different. The overall death rate was 30.9% for males and 20.4% in females (P < 0.001). In the survival analysis, male sex was a predictor of mortality [OR 1.95 (95% CI 1.66, 2.28)]. CONCLUSIONS: Male SSc-ILD patients have a poorer prognosis and sex-specific predictors exist in SSc-ILD.

Use of platelet inhibitors for digital ulcers related to systemic sclerosis: EUSTAR study on derivation and validation of the DU-VASC model.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate the prognostic prediction model DU-VASC to assist the clinicians in decision-making regarding the use of platelet inhibitors (PIs) for the management of digital ulcers in patients with systemic sclerosis. Secondly, to assess the incremental value of PIs as predictor. METHODS: We analysed patient data from the European Scleroderma Trials and Research group registry (one time point assessed). Three sets of derivation/validation cohorts were obtained from the original cohort. Using logistic regression, we developed a model for prediction of digital ulcers (DUs). C-Statistics and calibration plots were calculated to evaluate the prediction performance. Variable importance plots and the decrease in C-statistics were used to address the importance of the predictors. RESULTS: Of 3710 patients in the original cohort, 487 had DUs and 90 were exposed to PIs. For the DU-VASC model, which includes 27 predictors, we observed good calibration and discrimination in all cohorts (C-statistic = 81.1% [95% CI: 78.9%, 83.4%] for the derivation and 82.3% [95% CI: 779.3%, 85.3%] for the independent temporal validation cohort). Exposure to PIs was associated with absence of DUs and was the most important therapeutic predictor. Further important factors associated with absence of DUs were lower modified Rodnan skin score, anti-Scl-70 negativity and normal CRP. Conversely, the exposure to phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, prostacyclin analogues or endothelin receptor antagonists seemed to be associated with the occurrence of DUs. Nonetheless, previous DUs remains the most impactful predictor of DUs. CONCLUSION: The DU-VASC model, with good calibration and discrimination ability, revealed that PI treatment was the most important therapy-related predictor associated with reduced DU occurrence.

Systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease in the EUSTAR database: analysis by region.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence and characteristics of SSc-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) vary between geographical regions worldwide. The objectives of this study were to explore the differences in terms of prevalence, phenotype, treatment and prognosis in patients with SSc-ILD from predetermined geographical regions in the EUSTAR database. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients were clustered into seven geographical regions. Clinical characteristics and survival of patients with SSc-ILD were compared among these pre-determined regions. RESULTS: For baseline analyses, 9260 SSc patients were included, with 6732 for survival analyses. The prevalence of SSc-ILD in the overall population was 50.2%, ranging from 44.0% in 'Western Europe and Nordic countries' to 67.5% in 'Eastern European, Russia and Baltic countries'. In all regions, anti-topoisomerase antibodies were associated with SSc-ILD. Management also significantly differed; mycophenolate mofetil was prescribed at baseline in 31.6% of patients with SSc-ILD in 'America (North and South)' and 31.7% in 'Middle East' but only 4.3% in 'Asia and Oceania' (P <0.0001). Patients from 'America (North and South)' and 'Middle East' had the highest survival rate at the end of follow-up (85.8% and 85.2%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights key differences among regions in terms of clinical presentation and prognosis of SSc-ILD. This work also demonstrates that the management of SSc-ILD is highly variable among the different regions considered, suggesting that efforts are still needed for the standardization of medical practice in the treatment of this disease.

Evaluation of left cardiac chamber function with cardiac magnetic resonance and association with outcome in patients with systemic sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether lower values of feature-tracking cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived left atrial reservoir strain (LARS) and impaired left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) were associated with the presence of symptoms and long-term prognosis in patients with SSc. METHODS: A total of 100 patients {54 [interquartile range (IQR) 46-64] years, 42% male} with SSc who underwent CMR imaging at two tertiary referral centres were included. All patients underwent analysis of LARS and LV GLS using feature-tracking on CMR and were followed-up for the occurrence of all-cause mortality. RESULTS: The median LV GLS was -21.8% and the median LARS was 36%. On multivariable logistic regression, LARS [odds ratio (OR) 0.964 per %, 95% CI 0.929, 0.998, P = 0.049] was independently associated with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II-IV heart failure symptoms. Over a median follow-up of 37 (21-62) months, a total of 24 (24%) patients died. Univariable Cox regression analysis demonstrated that LARS [hazard ratio (HR) 0.94 per 1%, 95% CI 0.91, 0.97, P < 0.0001) and LV GLS (HR 1.10 per %, 95% CI 1.03, 1.17, P = 0.005) were associated with all-cause mortality, while LV ejection fraction was not. Likelihood ratio tests demonstrated that LARS provided incremental value over prognostically important clinical and imaging parameters, including late gadolinium enhancement. CONCLUSION: In patients with SSc, LARS was independently associated with the presence of NYHA class II-IV heart failure symptoms. Although both LARS and LV GLS were associated with all-cause mortality, only LARS provided incremental value over all evaluated variables known to be prognostically important in patients with SSc.

Association of endothelial to mesenchymal transition and cellular senescence with fibrosis in skin biopsies of systemic sclerosis patients: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Fibrosis is the dominant hallmark of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Several mechanisms have been proposed to drive the disease process, but how these relate to skin fibrosis is poorly understood. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study on archival skin biopsies from 18 SSc patients and four controls. Dermal fibrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration were scored in HE and Masson's Trichrome-stained sections. The presence of senescence was defined by P21 and/or P16 positivity in Ki-67 negative cells. Endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT) was identified by co-localisation of CD31 and α-SMA in immunofluorescent double-stained sections, and by an enclosure of ERG positive endothelial cell nuclei by α-SMA stained cytoplasm in immunohistochemical double staining. RESULTS: The histological dermal fibrosis score of SSc skin biopsies was correlated with the modified Rodnan skin score (rho 0.55, p=0.042). Staining for markers of cellular senescence on fibroblasts was correlated with fibrosis score, inflammatory score, and CCN2 staining on fibroblasts. Moreover, EndMT was more abundant in skin from patients with SSc (p<0.01) but did not differ between groups with different fibrosis severity. The frequency of these EndMT features increased with the abundance of senescence markers and CCN2 on fibroblasts and dermal inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: EndMT and fibroblast senescence were more abundant in skin biopsies from SSc patients. This finding indicates that both senescence and EndMT are involved in the pathway leading to skin fibrosis and might be valuable biomarkers and/or possible targets for novel therapeutic interventions.

Gastrointestinal symptom severity and progression in systemic sclerosis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the severity and evolution of patient-reported gastrointestinal tract (GIT) symptoms in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients, assess predictive factors for progression and determine the impact of standard of care treatment. METHODS: SSc patients from the Leiden and Oslo cohorts were included. We assessed clinical data and patient-reported GIT symptoms measured by the validated University of California, Los-Angeles Gastrointestinal-tract (UCLA-GIT) score at baseline and annually. GIT severity and progression was determined. Logistic regression was applied to identify risk factors associated with baseline GIT symptom severity. Linear mixed-effect models were applied to assess progression in GIT symptom burden and to identify predictive factors. We repeated all analysis in patients with early disease (inception cohort) to exclude the effect of longstanding disease and increase insights in development of GIT symptom burden early in the disease course. RESULTS: We included 834 SSc patients with baseline UCLA GIT scores, 454 from Leiden and 380 from Oslo. In the total cohort, 28% reported moderate-severe GIT symptoms at baseline, with increased risk for severity conferred by ACA, smoking and corticosteroid use, while use of calcium channel blockers appeared protective. In the inception cohort, 23% reported moderate-severe GIT symptoms at baseline, with increased risk for females and with smoking. Over time, symptom burden increased mainly for reflux/bloating. Female sex and ACA predicted GIT symptom progression. CONCLUSION: High GIT symptom burden is present early in SSc disease course. Both for prevalence and for progression of GIT symptom burden, female sex and smoking were identified as risk factors.

Improvement of microangiopathy after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in systemic sclerosis.

OBJECTIVES: Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a treatment option for patients with severe systemic sclerosis (SSc), but the efficacy of the procedure in remodelling the nailfold microvascular array is largely unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of HSCT on microangiopathy assessed through nailfold capillaroscopy (NC) and to compare the results with findings in patients receiving conventional immunosuppression. METHODS: We included SSc patients with severe SSc and whose pre- and post-treatment NC images were available. Findings in patients treated with HSCT were compared with patients not treated with HSCT. Images were scored by two independent observers blinded for clinical data and treatment history. Capillary pattern was determined and semiquantitative scores from 0 (no changes) to 3 (>66% alterations per millimetre) were used to quantify the degree of specific microvascular characteristics. Changes in severity of microangiopathy between baseline and post-treatment were compared between groups. RESULTS: Images of 18 HSCT patients and 21 controls were scored. From baseline to follow-up, 33% of HSCT patients showed improvement from scleroderma pattern to normal NC, compared to 6% of controls (p=0.15). Pre- to post-treatment differences in semiquantitative scores showed significant improvement in HSCT patients compared to controls regarding capillary loss (-0.5 vs. 0.0, p<0.05) and disorganisation (-0.8 vs. 0.0, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The degree of microangiopathy improved significantly in severe SSc patients treated with HSCT compared with patients receiving conventional immunosuppressive therapy.

Health-related quality of life in patients with mixed connective tissue disease: a comparison with matched systemic sclerosis patients.

OBJECTIVES: Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in adult patients with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) has not been described so far. Therefore, we performed an explorative study to evaluate HRQoL in MCTD patients. METHODS: MCTD patients fulfilling the Kahn criteria and participating in the prospective follow-up cohort for MCTD of the Leiden University Medical Center were included; and matched to systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients based on age, sex and disease duration. Data on disease characteristics and HRQoL (SF36 and EQ-5D) were collected annually. HRQoL was compared between MCTD and SSc patients at baseline. Factors associated with HRQoL in MCTD were identified using linear regression and change in HRQoL over 3 years using linear mixed models. RESULTS: Thirty-four MCTD patients (121 visits) and 102 SSc patients (424 visits) were included. At baseline, MCTD patients presented with interstitial lung disease, cardiac involvement, synovitis and myositis more frequently compared to SSc patients, while use of immunosuppressive medication was less frequent. In both groups, mean SF36 scores were lower than in the general Dutch population. The SF36 subscore "general health perception" was impacted most in both groups (MCTD: 38.5 [SD:7.0], SSc: 39.9 [SD:8.9]). During follow-up, SF36 scores improved in MCTD patients, while EQ5DNL remained stable. No specific characteristics were identified that associated with baseline HRQoL or change in HRQol over time. CONCLUSIONS: Like in SSc, HRQoL in MCTD is significantly impaired, especially the general health perception of patients. Evaluation in larger prospective cohorts is needed to identify characteristics that impact HRQol most.

Sjögren's syndrome and other rare and complex connective tissue diseases: an intriguing liaison.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune disease that frequently occurs concomitantly with other systemic connective tissue disorders, including rare and complex diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis (SSc). The presence of SS influences the clinical expression of the other autoimmune diseases, thus offering the unique opportunity to explore the similarities in genetic signatures, as well as common environmental and biologic factors modulating the expression of disease phenotypes. In this review, we will specifically discuss the possibility of defining "SS/SLE" and "SS/SSc" as distinct subsets within the context of connective tissue diseases with different clinical expression and outcomes, thus deserving an individualised assessment and personalised medical interventions.

Comprehensive analysis of the major histocompatibility complex in systemic sclerosis identifies differential HLA associations by clinical and serological subtypes.

OBJECTIVE: The greatest genetic effect reported for systemic sclerosis (SSc) lies in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus. Leveraging the largest SSc genome-wide association study, we aimed to fine-map this region to identify novel human leucocyte antigen (HLA) genetic variants associated with SSc susceptibility and its main clinical and serological subtypes. METHODS: 9095 patients with SSc and 17 584 controls genome-wide genotyped were used to impute and test single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the MHC, classical HLA alleles and their composite amino acid residues. Additionally, patients were stratified according to their clinical and serological status, namely, limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc), diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc), anticentromere (ACA), antitopoisomerase (ATA) and anti-RNApolIII autoantibodies (ARA). RESULTS: Sequential conditional analyses showed nine SNPs, nine classical alleles and seven amino acids that modelled the observed associations with SSc. This confirmed previously reported associations with HLA-DRB1*11:04 and HLA-DPB1*13:01, and revealed a novel association of HLA-B*08:01. Stratified analyses showed specific associations of HLA-DQA1*02:01 with lcSSc, and an exclusive association of HLA-DQA1*05:01 with dcSSc. Similarly, private associations were detected in HLA-DRB1*08:01 and confirmed the previously reported association of HLA-DRB1*07:01 with ACA-positive patients, as opposed to the HLA-DPA1*02:01 and HLA-DQB1*03:01 alleles associated with ATA presentation. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the contribution of HLA class II and reveals a novel association of HLA class I with SSc, suggesting novel pathways of disease pathogenesis. Furthermore, we describe specific HLA associations with SSc clinical and serological subtypes that could serve as biomarkers of disease severity and progression.

Health-related quality of life in patients with systemic sclerosis: evolution over time and main determinants.

OBJECTIVES: In SSc patients, disease specific determinants that influence health-related quality of life (HRQoL) over time have not been described. We aim to, in patients with SSc, (i) evaluate if and how HRQoL changes over time, and (ii) assess how different SSc domains and functional impairments contribute to changes in HRQoL over time. METHODS: All SSc patients from the Leiden SSc cohort were included; patients with disease duration <24 months were classified as incident cases. HRQoL was assessed prospectively on an annual basis using the EQ-5D and the SF36. To assess baseline associations between clinical characteristics and HRQoL, linear regressions were performed. To identify possible associations between SSc characteristics and HRQoL change over time, linear mixed models were performed in both incident and prevalent cases. RESULTS: In total, 492 SSc patients were included (n = 202 incident cases), with a median follow-up duration of 3.4 years. At baseline, presence of organ involvement was independently associated with a worse SF36 physical component score and lower EQ-5D score. Over time, gastrointestinal symptoms, Raynaud and digital ulcers were independently associated with deterioration of HRQoL in both incident and prevalent cases. In prevalent cases, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) was associated with a decrease in HRQoL over time. Worse functioning as measured by six-min walking distance, mouth-opening, finger-to-palm distance and grip-strength contributed significantly to deterioration of HRQoL over time. CONCLUSION: In SSc, key clinical burdens that contribute to worsening of HRQoL over time include digital ulcers, Raynaud and gastrointestinal involvement. In addition, PAH is a significant burden in prevalent disease.

Predictive factors for treatment-related mortality and major adverse events after autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for systemic sclerosis: results of a long-term follow-up multicentre study.

BACKGROUND: Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) improves survival in systemic sclerosis (SSc) with poor prognosis, but is hampered by treatment-related mortality (TRM). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate event-free survival (EFS), TRM, response to treatment, disease progression and patient characteristics associated with events. METHODS: All patients treated with HSCT for SSc in The Netherlands until 2017 (n=92) were included. Data on skin involvement (modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS), pulmonary function (forced vital capacity (FVC) and diffusion capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO)), extent of interstitial lung disease on high-resolution CT using Goh scores and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were collected at baseline, 1, 2 and 5 years. Occurrence of events, defined as death or major organ failure, were collected until 2019. As control, a comparison between patients treated with cyclophosphamide (CYC) and patients with HSCT who participated in the Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation International Scleroderma (ASTIS) trial was performed. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 4.6 years. EFS estimates at 5, 10 and 15 years were 78%, 76% and 66%, respectively. Twenty deaths occurred. Mean FVC, DLCO, mRSS and Goh scores all improved significantly. Disease progression occurred in 22 patients. Frequency of TRM decreased over time and occurred more often in males. Events were independently associated with male sex, LVEF <50% and older age. In ASTIS, patients treated with HSCT (n=23) 7 events occurred versus 13 in the CYC group (n=22). CONCLUSION: Our data confirm long-term efficacy of HSCT in improving survival, skin and lung involvement in SSc. Male sex, lower LVEF and older age at baseline were identified as risk factors for events.

Treatment decision-making in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis: a patient's perspective.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the treatment decision-making process of patients with dcSSc in the context of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). METHODS: A qualitative semi-structured interview study was done in patients before or after HSCT, or patients who chose another treatment than HSCT. Thematic analysis was used. Shared decision-making (SDM) was assessed with the 9-item Shared Decision Making Questionnaire (SDM-Q-9). RESULTS: Twenty-five patients [16 male/nine female, median age 47 (range 27-68) years] were interviewed: five pre-HSCT, 16 post-HSCT and four following other treatment. Whereas the SDM-Q-9 showed the decision-making process was perceived as shared [median score 81/100 (range 49-100)], we learned from the interviews that the decision was predominantly made by the rheumatologist, and patients were often steered towards a treatment option. Strong guidance of the rheumatologist was appreciated because of a lack of accessible, reliable and SSc-specific information, due to the approach of the decision-making process of the rheumatologist, the large consequence of the decision and the trust in their doctor. Expectations of outcomes and risks also differed between patients. Furthermore, more than half of patients felt they had no choice but to go for HSCT, due to rapid deterioration of health and the perception of HSCT as 'the holy grail'. CONCLUSION: This is the first study that provides insight into the decision-making process in dcSSc. This process is negatively impacted by a lack of disease-specific education about treatment options. Additionally, we recommend exploring patients' preferences and understanding of the illness to optimally guide decision-making and to provide tailor-made information.

How do patients with systemic sclerosis experience currently provided healthcare and how should we measure its quality?

OBJECTIVES: To gain insight into SSc patients' perspective on quality of care and to survey their preferred quality indicators. METHODS: An online questionnaire about healthcare setting, perceived quality of care (CQ index) and quality indicators, was sent to 2093 patients from 13 Dutch hospitals. RESULTS: Six hundred and fifty patients (mean age 59 years, 75% women, 32% limited cutaneous SSc, 20% diffuse cutaneous SSc) completed the questionnaire. Mean time to diagnosis was 4.3 years (s.d. 6.9) and was longer in women compared with men (4.8 (s.d. 7.3) vs 2.5 (s.d. 5.0) years). Treatment took place in a SSc expert centre for 58%, regional centre for 29% or in both for 39% of patients. Thirteen percent of patients was not aware of whether their hospital was specialized in SSc. The perceived quality of care was rated with a mean score of 3.2 (s.d. 0.5) (range 1.0-4.0). There were no relevant differences between expert and regional centres. The three prioritized process indicators were: good patient-physician interaction (80%), structural multidisciplinary collaboration (46%) and receiving treatment according to SSc guidelines (44%). Absence of disease progression (66%), organ involvement (33%) and digital ulcers (27%) were the three highest rated outcome indicators. CONCLUSION: The perceived quality of care evaluated in our study was fair to good. No differences between expert and regional centres were observed. Our prioritized process and outcome indicators can be added to indicators suggested by SSc experts in earlier studies and can be used to evaluate the quality of care in SSc.

Smoking and systemic sclerosis: influence on microangiopathy and expression of anti-topoisomerase I antibodies in a monocentric cohort.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients exposed to active tobacco smoke exhibit a different autoantibody profile or are at higher risk for severe microangiopathy compared to never-smokers, and to assess differences between men and women. METHODS: We performed an exploratory observational study in a cohort of SSc patients fulfilling the 2013 ACR/EULAR classification criteria. According to the smoking habit, patients were categorised as ever-smokers or never-smokers. Microvascular damage was assessed at baseline using nailfold videocapillaroscopy. The presence of SSc-specific autoantibodies was investigated. RESULTS: The studied population was composed of 361 patients (279 women, 82 men). Of these, 208 (58%) were ever-smokers and 153 (42%) were never-smokers. Anti-centromere, anti-topoisomerase I (ATA) and anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies were found, respectively, in 90 (43%), 41 (20%), and 11 (5%) ever-smokers, and in 66 (43%), 40 (26%) and 5 (3%) never-smokers (all p>0.05). Scleroderma patterns early, active and late were present respectively in 12%, 44% and 21% of ever-smokers, and in 9%, 48%, and 29% of never-smokers (all p>0.05). In multivariable logistic regression, being a never-smoker was significantly associated with ATA positivity (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.04-2.99, p= 0.034). In the gender-based sub-cohorts, 36 (27%) female patients who never smoked were ATA positive, compared to 16 (11%) ever-smoking women (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We observed a significant association between smoking history and positivity of ATA and we outlined the idea of a different effect of smoking on autoantibody expression between men and women.

Botulinum toxin type A in the treatment of Raynaud's phenomenon.

Raynaud's phenomenon is a vasospastic disorder clinically characterized by cold or stress-induced discoloration of the skin, pain and ulcers of the fingers or toes. Although this phenomenon might be self-limiting, there is a subgroup of patients requiring a therapeutic approach. The majority of patients do well on conservative measures; however, there is also a subgroup requiring systemic treatment. The efficacy of these systemic treatments is currently not thoroughly investigated. Furthermore, no uniform guidelines exist regarding the choice for a treatment option. In the past several years, several reports have shown the benefits of botulinum toxin for the treatment of Raynaud's phenomenon. In this case series, we report our experience with botulinum toxin type A in the treatment of Raynaud's phenomenon.

Cumulative endogenous estrogen exposure is not associated with severity of peripheral microangiopathy in patients with systemic sclerosis.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether cumulative endogenous estrogen exposure (CEEE) is associated with severity of microvascular damage or with presence of clinical characteristics in women with systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS: The population was composed of female SSc patients from the Leiden CCISS (combined care in SSc) cohort. Reproductive life history was investigated through structured questionnaires and CEEE was calculated with a mathematical equation. Demographic, laboratory and clinical characteristics were available for all patients. The most recent nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC) was used to semiquantitatively score microangiopathy parameters. RESULTS: We included 97 patients, with a mean age of 59.6±14 years and a mean CEEE of 9±5.5 years. Ordinal logistic regression using CEEE as independent variable failed to demonstrate an association with loss (OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.97-1.14), dilated capillaries (OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.96-1.14), giants (OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.95-1.12) and ramifications (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.92-1.07). Binary logistic regression did not show an effect of CEEE on presence of scleroderma pattern vs. non-scleroderma pattern, (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.89-1.1) or of late scleroderma pattern vs. non-late patterns (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.88-1.05) at NVC. Furthermore, no association was found between CEEE and presence of interstitial lung involvement (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.88-1.08) but a trend for occurrence of digital ulcers (OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.99-1.19) was observed. CONCLUSIONS: In SSc patients, CEEE is not associated with the extent of microvascular derangement. No associations between CEEE and organ involvement were found.