Clinical analysis of systemic sclerosis patients with digital ulcer: from Chinese EUSTAR database / 中华风湿病学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical and laboratory characteristics of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with digital ulcer(DU) in China.MethodThe data of 166 consecutive SSc patients in EUSTAR DATABASE in Peking Union Medical Colloge Hospital from February 2009 to August 2010 were prospectively collected,and patients with DU were compared with those without DU.All patients fulfilled the ACR classification criteria for SSc in 1980.Results① Forty-nine patients (29.5％) had DU in 166 SSc patients.The disease onset age was(36±12) years(8.1-61.7 years) for those patients with DU.All had Raynaud's phenomenon(RP).② Demographic data:there were significant differences between patients with and without DU in sex (F/M 40/9 vs 112/5,P=0.005),age [(40±12) years old vs(46±12) years old,P=0.005],the onset age of RP [(33±12) years vs(39±13) years,P=0.005] and the duration from RP to the first non-RP presentaion[ (18±15) months vs(115±307) months,P=0.002 ].③ Clinical manifestations and laboratory findings:there were more diffuse SSc patients and more esophageal involvement in patients with DU (P＜0.05).ConclusionsDU in SSc patients is common,especially in man and patients with diffuse SSc.SSc patients with DU usually are younger when RP onsets and the non-RP manifestations usually present earlier when compared with those patients without DU.

Effective treatment of a digital ulcer and pain in a Raynaud's syndrome patient with using a spinal cord stimulator : A case report

Raynaud's phenomenon associated with connective tissue disease (Raynaud`s syndrome) may be difficult to manage with conservative therapy, and no gold standard therapy currently exists. Raynaud's syndrome can cause digital ulcer and necrosis, digital amputation is inevitable in some patients. Spinal cord stimulation seems to be an effective treatment for ischemic vascular disease, although little is known about the mechanisms of this effect. We present here a case for which cervical spinal cord stimulation was used to treat a digital ulcer and the intractable digital pain in a 60-year-old male patient who had severe Raynaud's syndrome. The patient had Raynaud's phenomenon associated with mixed connective tissue disease for 10 years. Three years before visiting our clinic, he underwent amputation at the second and third distal phalanges of his right hand because of digital necrosis. Two months after spinal cord stimulator implantation, his pain significantly improved from 100/100 mm VAS to 0/100 mm and the function of his hands noticeably improved.

A Case of Digital Ulcer in Systemic Sclerosis, Treated with Oral Sildenafil (Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitor, Viagra(R)) / 대한류마티스학회지

Systemic sclerosis is a connective tissue disease characterized by cutaneous and visceral fibrosis, as well as vascular disease involving arterioles, small and medium arteries of the peripheral circulation. Digital ulcers, defined as necrotic lesions that occur either at distal aspects of digits or over bony prominence, occur in up to 50% of patients with limited or diffuse systemic sclerosis. These lesions are exquisitely painful, heal slowly, and lead to substantial functional disability. We describe a 59-year-old woman with systemic sclerosis, suffering from a painful, non-healing digital ulcer despite conventional therapies, who demonstrated dramatic improvement with oral sildenafil treatment.