Baseline characteristics of the study participants (n = 113).
| Variables | Mean or N | SD or % |
|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs | 59.9 | 10.8 |
| Women, % | 103 | 91.2 |
| Disease duration, yrs | 12.6 | 9.4 |
| Ethnicity, % | ||
| Caucasian | 100 | 88.5 |
| French Canadian | 56 | 49.6 |
| Aboriginal | 4 | 3.5 |
| Other | 21 | 18.6 |
| Education, % | ||
| Less than or equal to high school graduate | 56 | 49.6 |
| Some college/university | 16 | 14.2 |
| College/university graduate | 35 | 31.0 |
| Postgraduate | 6 | 5.3 |
| Type of systemic sclerosis*, % | ||
| Limited | 69 | 62.2 |
| Diffuse | 40 | 36.0 |
| Sine scleroderma | 2 | 1.8 |
| Clinical GI tract diagnoses, % | ||
| Gastroesophageal reflux | 94 | 83.2 |
| Gastroparesis | 42 | 37.2 |
| Bacterial overgrowth | 39 | 34.5 |
| Pseudo-obstruction | 2 | 1.8 |
| Diarrhea | 24 | 21.2 |
| Rectal incontinence | 28 | 24.8 |
| Constipation | 31 | 27.4 |
| Health-related quality of life | ||
| SF-36 physical component summary | 39.9 | 11.06 |
| SF-36 mental component summary | 48.6 | 10.21 |
| Self-rated GI severity, % | ||
| Normal | 54.9 | 62 |
| Mild-moderate | 30.1 | 34 |
| Severe | 15.0 | 17 |
↵* Adequate data for subset classification was missing on 2 subjects. GI: gastrointestinal; SF-36: Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36 questionnaire.