Gangrene Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Gangrene, including details on smoking, treatment, causes, amputation, necrosis. | ||||||||
|
Clinical burden of digital vasculopathy in limited and diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis.Nihtyanova SI, Brough GM, Black CM, Denton CP Centre for Rheumatology, Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG, UK. BACKGROUND: Vascular damage is a key pathological process in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and accounts for significant disease-related morbidity. To determine the clinical burden of severe digital vasculopathy (SDV), we have reviewed hospital-based treatment for this important complication of SSc in a large single centre cohort. METHODS: Cases were identified from a cohort of 1168 patients with a diagnosis of SSc who were reviewed during an 18-month period. Patients with recorded episodes of SDV-related complications (digital ulceration, critical digital ischaemia or digital gangrene), requiring surgical amputation, digital sympathectomy or admissions for intravenous prostacyclin or calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) and/or intravenous antibiotic treatment were identified. RESULTS: From this large SSc cohort, 17.4% had SDV-related complications. Contrary to expectation, their frequency was significantly higher among the patients with the diffuse cutaneous subset of SSc (27.5%) compared with 13% among the patients with limited cutaneous SSc (p<0.0001). 16.6% had at least one recorded episode of digital ulcers, and 12% required at least one hospitalisation during the 18 months for treatment with intravenous prostacyclin/CGRP. Overall, there were 242 admissions with a mean duration of 6 days. CONCLUSIONS: Digital vasculopathy is a serious complication of SSc contributing significant morbidity and often requiring hospital-based management. Published 13 December 2007 in Ann Rheum Dis, 67(1): 120-3.
© 2005-2008 Gangrene Research Today. All Rights Reserved. |
| ||||||
