Overlap Syndrome Distinct in Scleroderma

Medpage Today—March 10, 2015

Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) overlap syndromes represent a distinct subset of patients with a different pattern of organ involvement compared with the diffuse cutaneous and limited cutaneous subtypes of SSc, German researchers reported.

A clearer definition of this group of patients would allow their participation in clinical trials, which could improve their care, according to Robert F. Spiera, MD, director of the Vasculitis and Scleroderma Program at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, who was not involved in the study.

"These patients often are excluded from clinical trials, because the feeling has been that not enough is known about the course of disease. This study helps define the natural history of these patients, which could allow them to participate in interventional clinical trials in the future because we have a better sense of what to expect," Spiera told MedPage Today.

Read the full story at medpagetoday.com.