Demographic and clinical characteristics of the 120 patients with SSc. Arterial hypertension: blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg at study inclusion.
| Characteristics | All | lcSSc | dcSSc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients | |||
| Sex, n, males/females | 19/101 | 3/76 | 16/25 |
| Age, yrs, mean ± SD (range) | 57 ± 12 (22–79) | 59 ± 11 | 55 ± 12 |
| Disease duration, yrs, mean ± SD (range) | 12 ± 9 (0–53) | 12 ± 9 | 11 ± 9 |
| Cutaneous involvement | |||
| mRSS, mean ± SD | 11 ± 9 | 7 ± 3 | 20 ± 9 |
| Cutaneous ulcers, n | 22 | 10 | 12 |
| Calcinosis, n (N)* | 43 (107) | 30 | 13 |
| Pulmonary and cardiac involvement | |||
| DLCO, mean ± SD % predicted (N)* | 65.1 ± 19.2 (118) | 64.2 ± 18.5 (77) | 66.2 ± 20.5 (41) |
| FVC, mean ± SD % predicted (N)* | 95.6 ± 21.2 (118) | 99.3 ± 20.1 (77) | 88.8 ± 21.8 (41) |
| Radiographic confirmed lung fibrosis, n | 21 | 14 | 7 |
| Elevated SPAP by echocardiography, n (N)* | 10 (115) | 6 | 4 |
| Serology, n | |||
| Antinuclear antibodies | 115 | 74 | 41 |
| Anti-Scl-70 antibodies | 15 | 3 | 12 |
| Anticentromere antibodies | 48 | 41 | 7 |
| DMARD | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Current or previous smokers | 82 | 57 | 25 |
| Arterial hypertension | 30 | 18 | 12 |
| Blood samples | |||
| Leukocytes, × 109/l, mean ± SD | 7.2 ± 2.3 | 7.4 ± 2.5 | 7.7 ± 2.4 |
| Neutrophils, × 109/l, mean ± SD | 4.6 ± 1.9 | 4.7 ± 2.0 | 4.9 ± 2.2 |
| Platelets, × 109/l, mean ± SD | 272 ± 85 | 265 ± 86 | 269 ± 61 |
| Lactate dehydrogenase, U/l, mean ± SD | 186 ± 37 | 191 ± 40 | 185 ± 37 |
↵* Reduced number of patients because of lack of information. N: total number of subjects in the group; SSc: systemic sclerosis; lcSSc: limited cutaneous SSc; dcSSc: diffuse cutaneous SSc; mRSS: modified Rodnan Skin score; FVC: forced vital capacity; SPAP: systolic pulmonary artery pressure; DMARD: disease-modifying antirheumatic drug.