Active clinical trials for "Scleroderma, Systemic"

The purpose of this study is to obtain biologic materials from the blood, airways and/or urine of normal individuals and individuals with lung disease. The normal are used to establish a set of normal ranges for various parameters. These provide control information when compared to individuals with various pulmonary diseases, and will help in understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of various lung diseases. The underlying hypothesis is that the pathologic morphological changes in the airway epithelium must be preceded by changes in the gene expression pattern of the airway epithelium and potentially in macrophages.

Currently investigators do not have diagnostic and prognostic markers for SSc which almost always starts with a vascular disease (Raynaud's disease) isolated for several years. The primary purpose is to highlight discriminating metabolic profiles depending on the characteristics of the disease, allowing early diagnosis of SSc at the onset of vascular lesions, by comparing the profiles of SSc beginners (<3 years) to established forms (> 3 years). Secondary purposes: Prognosis: to study the metabolomics profile of SSc when a visceral complication occurs Diagnosis: to compare the metabolomics profile of SSc to undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCDT), Raynaud's disease (RD), vascular disease (VD) and healthy controls Exploratory: to compare the metabolomics profile of blood, urine and skin of SSc patients

Despite a number of prospective studies already initiated in the past years, the current epidemiology and course of interstitial lung disease (ILD) and pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with connective tissue disease (CTD) is still not well defined, particularly regarding its prevalence, incidence and the management of a broad spectrum of disease presentations. Major challenges include the identification of patients with progressive disease, the appropriate time point of therapeutic intervention and the underlying driver of disease (inflammatory or pro-fibrotic stimulus or both?). To address these issues in Western Austria, a progressive registry of patients with CTD exploring routine clinical and pathophysiological characteristics of ILD and PH will be conducted. This multidisciplinary, prospective and observational registry aims to collect comprehensive clinical data on incidence, prevalence and course of disease regarding all PH and ILD presentations in a real-world setting.

Diffuse infiltrating pneumonia (DIP) is a severe complication of systemic sclerosis and one of the leading cause of death in this condition. The main objective of this study is to prospectively describe the evolution of DIP overtime and to find prognosis factors.

This National Jewish Health (NJH) Investigator Initiated pilot study funded by the Shah Foundation will prospectively perform a non invasive lung function test called Lung Clearance Index (LCI) to determine if 50 scleroderma patients without evidence of lung disease who have evidence of small airway inflammation or impairment to airflow are more likely to develop ILD than those with normal vales.50 subjects will be enrolled from the Rheumatology practice at NJH and followed with phone interviews or Electronic Medical Record (EMR) record review yearly times 5 to determine if they have subsequently developed evidence of ILD or pulmonary artery hypertension.

The aim of the research will be to compare periodontal status and level of antioxidants in unstimulated saliva of systemic sclerosis patients with periodontitis and systemically healthy periodontitis patients. Twenty systemic sclerosis patients with periodontitis (SS group) and twenty systemically healthy periodontitis patients (P group) will be enrolled in the present study. The results may indicate higher periodontal destruction and antioxidant perturbations in unstimulated saliva of systemic sclerosis patients with periodontitis compared to systemically healthy periodontitis patients.

To date, two devices to measure nitric oxide lung diffusing capacity (DLNO) are commercially available in Europe. Previous research has shown systematic between-device differences in lung diffusing capacity outcomes in healthy people (Radtke et al. ERJ Open Res. 2021 Sep 13;7(3)). The extent and magnitude of between-device differences in people with lung function impairment and ventilation inhomogeneities is unknown.

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Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic autoimmune disease in which inflammation and fibrosis play a crucial role and lead to severe damage and failure of multiple organs such as the skin, joints, tendons, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, heart, blood vessels, and kidneys. It primarily affects women but disease is often more severe in males.

The goal of this pilot study is to assess the feasibility of a larger study on the efficacy of mycophenolate mofetil in people diagnosed with systemic sclerosis with mild lung involvement. Participants will be recruited over 12 months at 3 academic centers and assigned randomly to receive either mycophenolate mofetil or placebo, a look-alike substance that contains no active drug, for 96 weeks.