TY - JOUR T1 - Systemic sclerosis following human cytomegalovirus infection JF - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases JO - Ann Rheum Dis SP - 937 LP - 938 DO - 10.1136/ard.61.10.937 VL - 61 IS - 10 AU - C Ferri AU - M Cazzato AU - D Giuggioli AU - M Sebastiani AU - C Magro Y1 - 2002/10/01 UR - http://ard.bmj.com/content/61/10/937.abstract N2 - Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease characterised by skin and visceral organ involvement.1,2 The cause of SSc is still unknown; it has been suggested that one or more factors may be responsible for the disease through a complex pathogenic mechanism.3,4 Immune system dysregulation, collagen hyperproduction by altered fibroblasts, and vascular alterations can variably contribute to SSc development. The presence of Raynaud's phenomenon and diffuse microangiopathy suggests that endothelial injury may represent the first step in the pathogenesis of the disease.4 Numerous genetic, environmental, and infectious agents have been proposed as possible triggering factors.3–6 Among these, human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection may play a part in the pathogenesis of the SSc owing to its ability to … ER -