2. Systemic sclerosis is a rare, heterogeneous, slow-
motion disease, with (allegedly) a small window of
opportunity to fundamentally change the course of the
disease.
3.
4.
5. derived from greek and means hard
skin
Affects about 250/million = 7500
Canadians
Affects mainly women in the prime
of their life
women: men ratio 3-5:1,
onset between 30-50 years
6.
7.
8. Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma)
a multisystem disorder characterized by
functional and structural abnormalities of blood
vessels
fibrosis of the skin and internal organs
immune system activation
autoimmunity
Localized scleroderma
morphea, linear scleroderma
9.
10. LOCALIZED FORMS
Morphea
Generalized / pansclerotic morphea
Linear scleroderma - En coup de saber
Progressive hemifacial atrophy
11. MORPHEA
A rare skin condition that causes reddish or
purplish patches on your skin.
Tends to affect only the outermost layers of
your skin — the dermis and the fatty tissue
just beneath the dermis.
Location –
Abdomen, chest and back - %
Face, Arms and legs
12. Signs of morphea -
Hardening and thickening of the skin.
Discoloration of the affected skin to look
lighter or darker than the surrounding area.
Oval-shaped patches that may change
colors and gradually develop a whitish
center.
Linear patches, especially when on arms
and legs
Loss of hair and sweat glands in the
affected area over time.
18. Epidemiology
Prevalence: 19-75 cases per 100,000
Susceptibility: host factor
age - peak occurrence: age 35-65 years
gender - female : male = 7-12 : 1
genetic background
Environmental factors
infection
occupational exposures: silica dust
19. Pathogenesis
Vasculopathy of small artery and capillary
endothelial cell injury
adhesion and activation of platelet
PDGF, thromboxane A2 release
vasoconstriction & growth of endothelial cell and
fibroblast
narrowing or obliteration, increased permeability
Fibrosis
aberrant regulation of fibroblast cell growth
increased production of extracellular matrix (collagen,
fibronectin, and glycosaminoglycan)
thickening of the skin & fibrosis of internal organs
20. Immunologic mechanism
cell mediated immunity
skin: cellular infiltrates in perivascular region
and dermis (T cell, Langerhans cell, plasma
cell, macrophage)
Humoral immunity
hypergammaglobulinemia
autoantibody production
antinuclear antibody (+) > 95%
23. Classification of systemic
sclerosis
Diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis
proximal skin thickening
- distal and proximal extremity and often the trunk and
face
tendency to rapid progression of skin change
rapid onset of disease following Raynaud’s phenomenon
early appearance of visceral involvement
poor prognosis
24. Limited cutaneous systemic
sclerosis
1) symmetric restricted fibrosis
- affecting the distal extremities and face/neck
2) prolonged delay in appearance of distinctive
internal
manifestation
3) prominence of calcinosis and telangiectasia
4) good prognosis
* CREST syndrome
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31. Clinical features
Vascular abnormalities
Raynaud's phenomenon
cold hands and feet with reversible skin color change
(white to blue to red)
induced by cold temperature or emotional stress
initial complaint in 3/4 of patients
90% in patients with skin change
(prevalence in the general population: 4-15%)
Digital ischemic injury
38. Skin involvement
1) stage
- edematous phase
- indurative phase
- atrophic phase
2) firm, thickened bound to underlying soft tissue
3) decrease in range of motion, loss of facial
expression, inability to open mouth fully
39. Skin thickening of systemic sclerosis begins on the
fingers and hands in nearly all cases. The skin
initially appears shiny and taut and may be
erythematous at early stages.
41. Causes of this swelling
Basically this is water in the tissues = edema
Binding of water to increased extracellular
connective tissue matrix
Inflammation
Poor lymphatic return
Microvascular injury with fluid
extravasation
44. Thick
Shiny
Taught
Tightly adheres to underlying tissue so
cannot be easily picked up
Creases disappear
May become hyper- or hypo-pigmented
Hair loss
Decreased sweating
50. Skin involvement
4) ulceration, loss of soft tissue of finger
tip, pigmentation, calcific deposit,
capillary change
5) pathology
- atrophy of dermal appendages
- loss of rete pegs
- compact bundles of collagen
54. Musculoskeletal
Generalized arthralgia and morning
stiffness
Erosive arthropathy has been demonstrated
to occur in some series in as many as 29
percent of patients.
An inexorable loss of hand function is the
rule as skin thickening worsens and the
underlying joints become tethered and
restricted in motion.
55. Insidious muscle weakness, both proximal and
distal, occurs in many patients with systemic
sclerosis secondary to disuse atrophy
Subcutaneous calcinosis occurs in around 40
percent of patients with long-standing limited
scleroderma and less frequently in diffuse disease
57. Intestinal involvement
1) esophagus: hypomotility and retrosternal pain,
reflux esophagitis, stricture
2) stomach: delayed emptying
3) small intestine: pseudo-obstruction, paralytic ileus,
malabsorption
4) large intestine: chronic constipation and fecal impaction
diverticula
58. Gastrointestinal
Disordered peristalsis of the lower two thirds of the
esophagus presents as dysphagia
Impaired function of the lower esophageal
sphincter
chronic esophageal reflux include erosive
esophagitis with bleeding, Barrett's esophagus,
and lower esophageal stricture
Involvement of the stomach occurs in systemic
sclerosis and presents clinically as ease of satiety
and on occasion as either functional gastric outlet
obstruction or acute gastric dilatation.
59.
60. Small bowel involvement
Intermittent bloating with abdominal
cramps, intermittent or chronic
diarrhea, and presentations suggestive
of intestinal obstruction.
Malabsorption occurs
Bacterial overgrowth in areas of
intestinal stasis occurs frequently
63. Colonic involvement…
is present in the majority of patients
with systemic sclerosis
is infrequently a prominent cause of
clinical symptoms.
and constipation, obstipation, and
pseudo-obstruction may occur and are
related to abnormal colonic motility
64. Lungs
1) 2/3 of patients affected
- leading cause of mortality and morbidity in
later stage of systemic sclerosis
2) pathology
- interstitial fibrosis
- intimal thickening of pulmonary arterioles
(pulmonary hypertension)
65. Pulmonary manifestations
Progressive dyspnea on exertion, limited
effort tolerance, and a nonproductive
cough
67. Pulmonary Hypertension
Individuals with limited systemic
sclerosis may also develop interstitial
disease but are also at risk for
progressive pulmonary hypertension in
the absence of interstitial change, a
complication most typical of long-
standing disease
70. Kidney
1) diffuse scleroderma in association with rapid
progression of skin involvement
2) pathology
- intimal hyperplasia of the interlobular artery
- fibrinoid necrosis of afferent arterioles
- glomerulosclerosis
3) proteinuria, abnormal sediment, azotemia,
microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (scleroderma
renal crisis), renal failure
71. Diagnosis
major criteria: proximal scleroderma
minor criteria:
sclerodactyly
digital pitting scar or loss of substance from the
finger pads
bibasilar pulmonary fibrosis
* one major or 2 or more minor criteria for
diagnosis
72.
73.
74. Prognosis
Quite variable and difficult to predict
Cumulative survival
diffuse limited
5 yr 70% 90%
10 yr 50% 70%
Major cause of death
renal involvement
cardiac involvement
pulmonary involvement