Predictors of early mortality in systemic sclerosis: a case–control study comparing early versus late mortality in systemic sclerosis

Treatment of Rapidly Progressive Systemic Sclerosis: Current and Futures Perspectives

INTRODUCTION

Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by severe and often progressive cutaneous, pulmonary, cardiac and gastrointestinal tract fibrosis, cellular and humoral immunologic alterations, and pronounced fibroproliferative vasculopathy. There is no effective SSc disease modifying therapy. Patients with rapidly progressive SSc have poor prognosis with frequent disability and very high mortality.

AREAS COVERED

This paper reviews currently available therapeutic approaches for rapidly progressive SSc and discuss novel drugs under study for SSc disease modification.

EXPERT OPINION

The extent, severity, and rate of progression of SSc skin and internal organ involvement determines the optimal therapeutic interventions for SSc. Cyclophosphamide for progressive SSc-associated interstitial lung disease and mycophenolate for rapidly progressive cutaneous involvement have shown effectiveness. Methotrexate has been used for less severe skin progression and for patients unable to tolerate mycophenolate. Rituximab was shown to induce improvement in SSc-cutaneous and lung involvement. Autologous bone marrow transplantation is reserved for selected cases in whom poor survival risk outweighs the high mortality rate of the procedure. Novel agents capable of modulating fibrotic and inflammatory pathways involved in SSc pathogenesis, including tocilizumab, pirfenidone, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, lipid lysophosphatidic acid 1, and NOX4 inhibitors are currently under development for the treatment of rapidly progressive SSc.

Mortality and survival in systemic sclerosis: systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To determine the mortality, survival, and causes of death in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) through a meta-analysis of the observational studies published up to 2013.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the observational studies in patients with SSc and mortality data from entire cohorts published in MEDLINE and SCOPUS up to July 2013.

RESULTS

A total of 17 studies were included in the mortality meta-analysis from 1964 to 2005 (mid-cohort years), with data from 9239 patients. The overall SMR was 2.72 (95% CI: 1.93-3.83). A total of 43 studies have been included in the survival meta-analysis, reporting data from 13,529 patients. Cumulative survival from onset (first Raynaud's symptom) has been estimated at 87.6% at 5 years and 74.2% at 10 years, from onset (non-Raynaud's first symptom) 84.1% at 5 years and 75.5% at 10 years, and from diagnosis 74.9% at 5 years and 62.5% at 10 years. Pulmonary involvement represented the main cause of death.

CONCLUSIONS

SSc presents a larger mortality than general population (SMR = 2.72). Cumulative survival from diagnosis has been estimated at 74.9% at 5 years and 62.5% at 10 years. Pulmonary involvement represented the main cause of death.

Survival and causes of death in an unselected and complete cohort of Norwegian patients with systemic sclerosis

OBJECTIVE

To determine survival and causes of death in an unselected and complete cohort of Norwegian patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) compared to the background population.

METHODS

Multiple methods were used to identify every patient with SSc living in southeast Norway, with a denominator population of 2,707,012, between 1999 and 2009. All patients who met either the American College of Rheumatology criteria or the Medsger and LeRoy criteria for SSc were included. Every patient was matched for sex and age with 15 healthy controls drawn from the national population registry. Vital status at January 1, 2010, was provided for patients and controls by the national population registry. Causes of death were obtained from death certificates and by chart review.

RESULTS

Forty-three (14%) of 312 patients with SSc died during the study period. The standardized mortality rate (SMR) was estimated to be 2.03 for the entire cohort and 5.33 for the subgroup with diffuse cutaneous (dc) SSc. The 5- and 10-year survival rates were 91% and 70%, respectively, for dcSSc and 98% and 93% for limited cutaneous (lc) SSc. Causes of death were related to SSc in 24/43 (56%) patients, mostly cardiopulmonary diseases (n = 13), including pulmonary hypertension (n = 8). Factors associated with fatal outcome included male sex, dcSSc, pulmonary hypertension, and interstitial lung disease.

CONCLUSION

Compared to the Norwegian background population, our cohort of 312 unselected patients with SSc had decreased survival. The survival rates observed were, however, better than those previously reported from SSc referral centers.