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Prajjwal P, Marsool MDM, Yadav V, Kanagala RSD, Reddy YB, John J, Lam JR, Karra N, Amiri B, Islam MU, Nithya V, Marsool ADM, Gadam S, Vora N, Hussin OA. Neurological, cardiac, musculoskeletal, and renal manifestations of scleroderma along with insights into its genetics, pathophysiology, diagnostic, and therapeutic updates. Health Sci Rep 2024; 7:e2072. [PMID: 38660003 PMCID: PMC11040569 DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.2072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Scleroderma, also referred to as systemic sclerosis, is a multifaceted autoimmune condition characterized by abnormal fibrosis and impaired vascular function. Pathologically, it encompasses the persistent presence of inflammation, abnormal collagen buildup, and restructuring of blood vessels in various organs, resulting in a wide range of clinical symptoms. This review incorporates the most recent scientific literature on scleroderma, with a particular emphasis on its pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnostic approaches, and treatment options. Methodology A comprehensive investigation was carried out on numerous databases, such as PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, to collect pertinent studies covering diverse facets of scleroderma research. Results Scleroderma presents with a range of systemic manifestations, such as interstitial lung disease, gastrointestinal dysmotility, Raynaud's phenomenon, pulmonary arterial hypertension, renal complications, neurological symptoms, and cardiac abnormalities. Serological markers, such as antinuclear antibodies, anti-centromere antibodies, and anti-topoisomerase antibodies, are important for classifying diseases and predicting their outcomes. Discussion The precise identification of scleroderma is crucial for promptly and correctly implementing effective treatment plans. Treatment approaches aim to improve symptoms, reduce complications, and slow down the progression of the disease. An integrated approach that combines pharmacological agents, including immunosuppressants, endothelin receptor antagonists, and prostanoids, with nonpharmacological interventions such as physical and occupational therapy is essential for maximizing patient care. Conclusion Through the clarification of existing gaps in knowledge and identification of emerging trends, our goal is to improve the accuracy of diagnosis, enhance the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions, and ultimately enhance the overall quality of life for individuals suffering from scleroderma. Ongoing cooperation and creative research are necessary to advance the field and achieve improved patient outcomes and new therapeutic discoveries.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Vikas Yadav
- Department of Internal MedicinePt. B. D. S. Postgraduate Institute of Medical SciencesRohtakIndia
| | | | | | - Jobby John
- Department of Internal MedicineDr. Somervell Memorial CSI Medical College and HospitalNeyyāttinkaraIndia
| | - Justin Riley Lam
- Department of Internal MedicineCebu Institute of MedicineCebuPhilippines
| | - Nanditha Karra
- Department of Internal MedicineOsmania Medical CollegeHyderabadTelanganaIndia
| | - Bita Amiri
- Cardiovascular Research CenterTabriz University of Medical SciencesTabrizIran
| | - Moiz Ul Islam
- Department of Internal MedicinePunjab Medical CollegeFaisalabadPakistan
| | - Venkatesh Nithya
- Department of Internal MedicineS. D. Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical UniversityAlmatyKazakhstan
| | | | | | | | - Omniat Amir Hussin
- Department of MedicineAlmanhal University Academy of ScienceKhartoumSudan
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Han Z, Han P, Wang F, Zheng H, Chen X, Meng H, Li F. Negative causal exploration of systemic sclerosis: a Mendelian randomization analysis. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5200. [PMID: 38431707 PMCID: PMC10908807 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55808-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc), also known as scleroderma, is an autoimmune-related connective tissue disease with a complex and unknown pathophysiological mechanism with genes association. Several articles have reported a high prevalence of thyroid disease in SSc patients, while one study suggested a potential contribution of appendicitis to the development of SSc. To investigate this causal association, we conducted Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using instrumental variables (IVs) to assess exposure and outcome. In the MR study involving two cohorts, all analyses were conducted using the TwoSampleMR package in R (version 4.3.0). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) meeting a statistically significant threshold of 5E-08 were included in the analysis. Multiple complementary approaches including MR-IVW, MR-Egger, weighted median, simple mode, and weighted mode were employed to estimated the relationship between the exposure and outcome. Leave-one-out analysis and scatter plots were utilized for further investigation. Based on the locus-wide significance level, all of the MR analysis consequences manifested no causal association between the risk of appendicitis with SSc (IVW OR 0.319, 95% CI 0.063-14.055, P = 0.966). Negative causal effects of autoimmune thyroiditis (AT) on SSc (IVW OR 0.131, 95% CI 0.816-1.362, P = 0.686), Graves' disease (GD) on SSc (IVW OR 0.097, 95% CI 0.837-1.222, P = 0.908), and hypothyroidism on SSc (IVW OR 1.136, 95% CI 0.977-1.321, P = 0.096) were derived. The reverse MR revealed no significant causal effect of SSc on thyroid disease. According to the sensitivity analysis, horizontal pleiotropy was unlikely to distort the causal estimates. The consequences indicated no significant association between AT, GD, and hypothyroidism with SSc. Similarly, there was no observed relationship with appendicitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zesen Han
- Hua Country People's Hospital, Anyang, 456400, Henan Province, China.
| | - Peisen Han
- The Department of Computer and Information Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475001, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Hua Country People's Hospital, Anyang, 456400, Henan Province, China
| | - Huayu Zheng
- Hua Country People's Hospital, Anyang, 456400, Henan Province, China
| | - Xiujian Chen
- Hua Country People's Hospital, Anyang, 456400, Henan Province, China
| | - Hongyu Meng
- Hua Country People's Hospital, Anyang, 456400, Henan Province, China
| | - Fenglei Li
- Hua Country People's Hospital, Anyang, 456400, Henan Province, China.
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Shenavandeh S, Azariyon Z, Nazarinia MA. Scleroderma-overlap syndromes: capillaroscopy, laboratory, and clinical manifestations and follow-up compared to scleroderma patients. Reumatologia 2024; 61:448-459. [PMID: 38322100 PMCID: PMC10839915 DOI: 10.5114/reum/175508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Overlap syndrome (OS) is a group of systemic connective tissue diseases (CTDs) that meet the criteria of two or more CTDs. In this study, we evaluated clinical, laboratory, and capillaroscopic manifestations of patients with scleroderma OS (SSc-OS) and its subgroups and follow-up progression compared to patients with limited SSc (LcSSc). Material and methods In a 10-year cross-sectional study, we evaluated 135 adult patients (70 with SSc-OS and 65 with LcSSc) with the same skin score for their baseline and follow-up clinical, laboratory, high-resolution chest tomography (HRCT), echocardiography, and nailfold capillaroscopy data and compared them. Results Of the 135 patients, 70 had SSc-OS, including 45 (64.3%) cases of SSc-SS (Sjögren's syndrome), 11 (15.7%) of SSc-RA (rheumatoid arthritis), 9 (12.9%) of SSc-myositis and 5 (1.7%) of SSc-SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus), and 65 had LcSSc. Lung and heart involvement and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) did not differ between the two groups (p > 0.05). Musculoskeletal involvement and non-specific pattern of capillaroscopy were higher (p = 0.035 and p = 0.001), and digital ulcer (DU) and scleroderma patterns of capillaroscopy were lower in the SSc-OS group (p = 0.000).No significant relationship was found between capillaroscopic patterns and organ involvement in the two groups (p-value > 0.05). In the follow-up (3.71 ±2.63 years), new DU and progression of lung involvement (p = 0.002) and the progression in capillaroscopic patterns was lower in SSc-OS (p = 0.000). In the follow-up, new DU was not seen in the SSc-OS, with lower progression of lung involvement, skin score, and capillary damage. Conclusions In SSc-OS patients, the most common subgroup was SSc-SS. Scleroderma OS was associated with lower major organ involvement and capillaroscopy progression than LcSSc. Major organ involvement in patients with SSc-OS was significantly lower than in LcSSc patients. In the follow-up, new DU was not seen in the SSc-OS with lower progression of lung involvement, skin score, and capillary damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeedeh Shenavandeh
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Iran
| | - Zahra Azariyon
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Nazarinia
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Iran
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Isasi E, Isasi ME, van Loon JJWA. The application of artificial gravity in medicine and space. Front Physiol 2022; 13:952723. [PMID: 36105282 PMCID: PMC9465481 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.952723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Gravity plays a crucial role in physiology. The lack of gravity, like in long duration spaceflight missions, cause pathologies in e.g., the musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular deconditioning, immune system deprivation or brain abnormalities, to just mention a few. The application of artificial gravity through short-arm human centrifugation (SAHC) has been studied as a possible countermeasure to treat spaceflight deconditioning. However, hypergravity protocols applied by using SAHC have also been used to treat different, ground-based pathologies. Such gravitational therapies have been applied in Uruguay for more than four decades now. The aim of this overview is to summarize the most important findings about the effects of gravitational therapy in different, mainly vascular based pathologies according to the experience in the Gravitational Therapy Center and to discuss the current research in the field of hypergravity applications in medicine but also as multisystem countermeasure for near weightlessness pathologies. New insight is needed on the use of hypergravity in medicine and space research and application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenia Isasi
- Centro de Terapia Gravitacional, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Departamento de Histología y Embriología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Maria E. Isasi
- Centro de Terapia Gravitacional, Montevideo, Uruguay
- *Correspondence: Jack J. W. A. van Loon, ; Maria E. Isasi,
| | - Jack J. W. A. van Loon
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Pathology, Amsterdam Movement Sciences & Amsterdam Bone Center (ABC), Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam & Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Life Support and Physical Sciences Section (TEC-MMG), European Space Agency (ESA), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), Noordwijk, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: Jack J. W. A. van Loon, ; Maria E. Isasi,
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Systemic Scleroderma-Definition, Clinical Picture and Laboratory Diagnostics. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11092299. [PMID: 35566425 PMCID: PMC9100749 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11092299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Scleroderma (Sc) is a rare connective tissue disease classified as an autoimmune disorder. The pathogenesis of this disease is not fully understood. (2) Methods: This article reviews the literature on systemic scleroderma (SSc). A review of available scientific articles was conducted using the PubMed database with a time range of January 1985 to December 2021. (3) Results and Conclusions: The article is a review of information on epidemiology, criteria for diagnosis, pathogenesis, a variety of clinical pictures and the possibility of laboratory diagnostic in the diagnosis and monitoring of systemic scleroderma.
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A Narrative Review of Pathogenetic and Histopathologic Aspects, Epidemiology, Classification Systems, and Disease Outcome Measures in Systemic Sclerosis. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol 2022; 64:358-377. [PMID: 35254622 PMCID: PMC10167186 DOI: 10.1007/s12016-022-08929-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare systemic autoimmune disease, characterized by the presence of three main actors: vasculopathy, immune activation, and fibrosis. This pathologic process is then translated in a clinical picture with great variability among different patients in terms of type of organ involvement, disease severity and prognosis. This heterogeneity is a main feature of SSc, which, in addition to the presence of early phases of the disease characterized by mild symptoms, can explain the high difficulty in establishing classification criteria, and in defining patients' subsets and disease outcomes. The definition of disease outcomes is particularly relevant in the setting of clinical trials, where the aim is to provide reliable endpoints, able to measure the magnitude of the efficacy of a certain drug or intervention. For this reason, in the last years, increasing efforts have been done to design measures of disease activity, damage, severity, and response to treatment, often in the context of composite indexes. When considering disease outcomes, the experience of the patient represents a relevant and complementary aspect. The tools able to capture this experience, the patient-reported outcomes, have been increasingly used in the last years in clinical practice and in clinical trials, both as primary and secondary endpoints. This comprehensive narrative review on SSc will therefore cover pathogenetic and histopathologic aspects, epidemiology, classification systems, and disease outcome measures, in order to focus on issues that are relevant for clinical research and design of clinical trials.
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Aragona CO, Versace AG, Ioppolo C, La Rosa D, Lauro R, Tringali MC, Tomeo S, Ferlazzo G, Roberts WN, Bitto A, Irrera N, Bagnato G. Emerging Evidence and Treatment Perspectives from Randomized Clinical Trials in Systemic Sclerosis: Focus on Interstitial Lung Disease. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10020504. [PMID: 35203713 PMCID: PMC8962255 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10020504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a complex rare autoimmune disease with heterogeneous clinical manifestations. Currently, interstitial lung disease (ILD) and cardiac involvement (including pulmonary arterial hypertension) are recognized as the leading causes of SSc-associated mortality. New molecular targets have been discovered and phase II and phase III clinical trials published in the last 5 years on SSc-ILD will be discussed in this review. Details on the study design; the drug tested and its dose; the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study; the concomitant immunosuppression; the outcomes and the duration of the study were reviewed. The two most common drugs used for the treatment of SSc-ILD are cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate mofetil, both supported by randomized controlled trials. Additional drugs, such as nintedanib and tocilizumab, have been approved to slow pulmonary function decline in SSc-ILD. In this review, we discuss the therapeutic alternatives for SSc management, offering the option to customize the design of future studies to stratify SSc patients and provide a patient-specific treatment according to the new emerging pathogenic features of SSc-ILD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Oriana Aragona
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (C.O.A.); (A.G.V.); (C.I.); (D.L.R.); (R.L.); (M.C.T.); (S.T.); (A.B.); (N.I.)
| | - Antonio Giovanni Versace
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (C.O.A.); (A.G.V.); (C.I.); (D.L.R.); (R.L.); (M.C.T.); (S.T.); (A.B.); (N.I.)
| | - Carmelo Ioppolo
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (C.O.A.); (A.G.V.); (C.I.); (D.L.R.); (R.L.); (M.C.T.); (S.T.); (A.B.); (N.I.)
| | - Daniela La Rosa
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (C.O.A.); (A.G.V.); (C.I.); (D.L.R.); (R.L.); (M.C.T.); (S.T.); (A.B.); (N.I.)
| | - Rita Lauro
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (C.O.A.); (A.G.V.); (C.I.); (D.L.R.); (R.L.); (M.C.T.); (S.T.); (A.B.); (N.I.)
| | - Maria Concetta Tringali
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (C.O.A.); (A.G.V.); (C.I.); (D.L.R.); (R.L.); (M.C.T.); (S.T.); (A.B.); (N.I.)
| | - Simona Tomeo
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (C.O.A.); (A.G.V.); (C.I.); (D.L.R.); (R.L.); (M.C.T.); (S.T.); (A.B.); (N.I.)
| | - Guido Ferlazzo
- Department of Human Pathology “G. Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy;
| | | | - Alessandra Bitto
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (C.O.A.); (A.G.V.); (C.I.); (D.L.R.); (R.L.); (M.C.T.); (S.T.); (A.B.); (N.I.)
| | - Natasha Irrera
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (C.O.A.); (A.G.V.); (C.I.); (D.L.R.); (R.L.); (M.C.T.); (S.T.); (A.B.); (N.I.)
| | - Gianluca Bagnato
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (C.O.A.); (A.G.V.); (C.I.); (D.L.R.); (R.L.); (M.C.T.); (S.T.); (A.B.); (N.I.)
- Correspondence:
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Campochiaro C, Allanore Y. An update on targeted therapies in systemic sclerosis based on a systematic review from the last 3 years. Arthritis Res Ther 2021; 23:155. [PMID: 34074331 PMCID: PMC8168022 DOI: 10.1186/s13075-021-02536-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
New molecular mechanisms that can be targeted with specific drugs have recently emerged for the treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients. Over the past 3 years, the achievement of one large phase 3 trial has led to the approval by drug agencies of the first drug licenced for SSc-related interstitial lung disease. Given this exciting time in the SSc field, we aimed to perform a systemic literature review of phase 1, phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials and large observational studies about targeted therapies in SSc. We searched MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, and ClinicalTrials.gov for clinical studies from 2016 with targeted therapies as the primary treatment in patients with SSc for skin or lung involvement as the primary clinical outcome measure. Details on the study characteristics, the trial drug used, the molecular target engaged by the trial drug, the inclusion criteria of the study, the treatment dose, the possibility of concomitant immunosuppression, the endpoints of the study, the duration of the study and the results obtained were reviewed. Of the 973 references identified, 21 (4 conference abstracts and 17 articles) were included in the systematic review. A total of 15 phase 1/phase 2 clinical trials, 2 phase 3 clinical trials and 2 observation studies were analysed. The drugs studied in phase 1/phase 2 studies included the following: inebilizumab, dabigatran, C-82, pomalidomide, rilonacept, romilkimab, tocilizumab, tofacitinib, pirfenidone, lenabasum, abatacept, belimumab, riociguat, SAR100842 and lanifibranor. All but 3 studies were performed in early diffuse SSc patients with different inclusion criteria, while 3 studies were performed in SSc patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). Phase 3 clinical trials investigated nintedanib and tocilizumab. Nintedanib was investigated in SSc-ILD patients whereas tocilizumab focused on early diffuse SSc patients with inflammatory features. Two observational studies including > 50 patients with rituximab as the targeted drug were also evaluated. All these studies offer a real hope for SSc patients. The future challenges will be to customize patient-specific therapeutics with the goal to develop precision medicine for SSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corrado Campochiaro
- Unit of Immunology, Rheumatology, Allergy and Rare Diseases (UnIRAR) IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Yannick Allanore
- Service de Rhumatologie, Hôpital Cochin, Université de Paris, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques, 75014, Paris, France.
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review provides a risk-stratified and evidence-based management for subsets of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients in the first five years from disease onset. RECENT FINDINGS Cardiopulmonary disease remains the primary cause of mortality in SSc patients. Morbidity and mortality in SSc-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension have improved with combination treatment, in either an upfront or sequential treatment pattern. Traditional therapies for interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) have targeted those with clinically significant and progressive ILD with immunosuppression. New data suggest a possible paradigm shift, introducing immunosuppressive therapy to patients before they develop clinically significant or progressive ILD. The year 2019 saw the approval of the first FDA-approved therapy for SSc-associated interstitial lung disease, using an antifibrotic agent previously approved for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. To date, only autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant has demonstrated a mortality benefit for SSc-ILD, albeit in a narrow spectrum of SSc-ILD patients. SUMMARY SSc is a highly heterogeneous autoimmune disease typified by varying clinical trajectories. Its management may be stratified within the first five years by subclassifying patients based on factors that have important prognostic significance: skin distribution and autoantibody status.
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