Skin Manifestation in Systemic Sclerosis

Objective: To assess cutaneous manifestations in a population of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Method: The study population was constituted by 50 patients with a diagnosis of SSc, according to the classification criteria for SSc established by the American College of Rheumatology. According to the criteria proposed by LeRoy and cols., the disease was classified as diffuse SSc, or limited SSc, depending on the extent of skin involvement. Through history and physical exam the following variables were assessed: skin sclerosis, Raynaud's phenomenon, digital pitting scars, ischemic ulcers, telangiectasia, leucomelanoderma, microstomy, calcinosis and pruritus. Results: In the study population, 88% were women, with a mean age of 52.3 +/- 12.4 years. Limited SSc was the most frequent subset, being present in 70% of the evaluated patients. We found Raynaud's phenomenon in 100% of the patients, telangiectasia in 94%, leucomelanoderma in 38%, pruritus in 50%, calcinosis in 40%, microstomy in 62%, digital scars in 66% and ischemic ulcers in 58%. The modified Rodnan skin score values ranged from 3 to 32, with a median of 14, and percentile 25 of 9 and percentile 75 of 17.75. Conclusion: Cutaneous manifestations are very common in ES, being responsible for important limitations on daily activities and stigmatization of patients.