TY - JOUR T1 - Stabilization of Microcirculation in Patients with Early Systemic Sclerosis with Diffuse Skin Involvement following Rituximab Treatment: An Open-label Study JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 995 LP - 996 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.151018 VL - 43 IS - 5 AU - VANESSA SMITH AU - CARMEN PIZZORNI AU - VALERIA RICCIERI AU - SASKIA DECUMAN AU - GUY BRUSSELLE AU - MICHEL DE PAUW AU - ELLEN DESCHEPPER AU - YVES PIETTE AU - BARBARA RUARO AU - ALBERTO SULLI AU - ELS VANDECASTEELE AU - KARIN MELSENS AU - FILIP DE KEYSER AU - MAURIZIO CUTOLO Y1 - 2016/05/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/43/5/995.abstract N2 - To the Editor:Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystemic autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis of the skin and internal organs, generalized microvasculopathy, and antibody response against various cellular antigens. Severe organ involvement occurs early in the course of diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) and has a bad prognosis1. Survival of the first years of the disease is associated with improved outcome. Therapies that may help the patient overcome this early period seem warranted2. Rituximab (RTX) has been reported as optional therapy in SSc3,4,5. Our group reported stabilization of internal organ involvement during a 2-year followup in an open pilot study of a 2–treatment course (months 0 and 6) of RTX in patients with early dcSSc6,7. In our pilot studies, modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) decreased significantly after RTX course. The percent of decrease in the open pilot studies was corroborated by a similar decrease in the percentage of collagen score in blindly assessed histopathological skin analyses.Because SSc is characterized by a pronounced microangiopathy over time … Address correspondence to Dr. V. Smith, Department of Rheumatology, Ghent University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Internal Medicine, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185, B – 9000 Ghent, Belgium. E-mail: vanessa.smith{at}ugent.be ER -