Table 1

 Prevalence of disease presentation among clinical scleroderma subsets

dcSSclcSScp (dcSSc vs lcSSC)OtherMissing data (%)
ACA, anticentromere autoantibody; ACR, American College of Rheumatology; ANA, antinuclear antibodies; CK, creatine kinase; DLCO, diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide; dcSSc, diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis; lcSSc, limited cutaneous systemic scerosis; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; mRSS, modified Rodnan Skin Score; NA, not applicable; PAH, pulmonary artery hypertension (assessed by echocardiography); RO, onset of Raynaud’s phenomenon.
* Disease duration was calculated on the basis of the onset of the first non-Raynaud’s feature.
ACR criteria fulfilled100%100%NA100%0
Number of patients1349 (36.9%)2101 (57.5%)<0.001206 (5.6%)0
Women81.1%90.9%<0.00186.9%0.4
Age (years), mean (SD)52.3 (13.7)57.4 (13.1)<0.00152.7 (13.9)0.4
Age at RO (years), mean (SD)42.9 (14.7)42.9 (14.5)0.9840.6 (14.3)11.2
Age at first non-RO (years), mean (SD)44.8 (14.2)47.9 (13.4)<0.00143.8 (14.0)10.4
Disease duration* (years), mean (SD)7.4 (6.9)9.6 (8.1)<0.0019.0 (7.5)10.7
Time between RO and first non-RO (years), mean (SD)1.9 (5.4)4.8 (8.5)<0.0013.2 (7.3)12.2
ANA positive92.1%91.3%0.1989.3%0.8
Scl70 positive60.8%23.4%<0.00126.1%3.4
ACA positive6.0%46.7%<0.00121.4%4.4
mRSS, mean (SD)19.0 (10.0)8.1 (5.3)<0.0016.4 (6.6)3.0
Active disease49.8%21.5%<0.00128.2%3.5
Elevated acute phase reactants41.8%24.6%<0.00134.5%1.8
Raynaud’s phenomenon96.1%95.9%0.5892.7%0.1
Digital ulcers42.7%32.9%<0.00122.3%0.3
Synovitis20.8%13.7%<0.00121.4%0.4
Joint contractures (any joint)47.1%24.4%<0.00129.1%0.6
Tendon friction rubs22.1%7.4%<0.0018.3%0.9
Muscle weakness37.1%22.8%<0.00136.4%0.4
Muscle atrophy21.1%10.8%<0.00120.9%1.1
CK elevation11.3%4.4%<0.00112.1%2.8
Oesophagus68.2%66.8%0.3868.0%0.3
Stomach26.6%22.8%0.0421.8%0.7
Intestine22.5%21.7%0.6819.4%0.7
Pulmonary fibrosis53.4%34.7%<0.00144.2%2.2
Lung restrictive defect49.3%26.7%<0.00132.0%2.4
% of predicted DLCO, mean (SD)64.0 (20.7)71.8 (21.0)<0.00171.6 (19.5)62.5
PAH22.3%20.5%0.3218.9%2.5
    PAH without fibrosis5.9%9.2%<0.0015.8%2.5
    PAH with fibrosis15.8%11.0%<0.00112.6%3.9
Dyspnoea44.9%34.0%<0.00137.4%0.2
Palpitations27.3%22.6%0.00331.6%0.5
Conduction block12.7%10.4%0.129.7%1.9
Diastolic dysfunction16.6%15.4%0.4215.0%2.3
LVEF7.2%5.0%0.592.4%3.2
Hypertension19.3%18.6%0.4615.5%0.3
Hypertensive renal crisis4.2%1.1%<0.0011.9%0.4
Proteinuria9.2%3.7%<0.00110.2%1.5