Background. Systemic sclerosis (SSc) and localized scleroderma (LoS) are two different diseases that may share some features.We\nevaluated the relationship between SSc and LoS in our case series of SSc patients. Methods. We analysed the clinical records of\n330 SSc patients, in order to find the eventual occurrence of both the two diseases. Results. Eight (2.4%) female patients presented\nboth the two diagnoses in their clinical histories. Six developed LoS prior to SSc; in 4/6 cases, the presence of autoantibodies\nwas observed before SSc diagnosis. Overall, the median time interval between LoS and SSc diagnosis was 18 (range 0ââ?¬â??156)\nmonths. Conclusions. LoS and SSc are two distinct clinical entities that may coexist.Moreover, as anecdotally reported in pediatric\npopulations, we suggested the possible development of SSc in adult patients with LoS, particularly in presence of Raynaudââ?¬â?¢s\nphenomenon or antinuclear antibodies before the SSc onset.
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