Males and females with scleroderma: A comparative study in a Brazilian sample
Matheus Costa
, Igor Jorge, Patricia Martin, Renato Nisihara, Thelma Skare
Department of Medicine, Mackenzie Evangelical School of Medicine, Curitiba, Brazil
Keywords: Limited, scleroderma, systemic.
Abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and serological profile in systemic sclerosis (SSc) by comparing females and males.
Patients and methods: This retrospective study was conducted with 215 SSc patients (193 females, 22 males; mean age: 50.1±14.5 years; range, 16 to 88 years) between September 2005 and September 2020. Disease severity was calculated by the Medsger severity score. Males and females were compared for clinical and serological markers.
Results: Females more frequently had esophageal involvement (p=0.003), telangiectasias (p=0.03), and antinuclear antibodies (p=0.04). Males more frequently had fingertip scars (p=0.03), digital ulcers (p=0.006), and a worse median Medsger severity score (6 in males vs. 4 in females, p=0.05).
Conclusion: In the studied sample, males had more severe disease than females with greater repercussions in periferic circulatory system.
Citation: Costa M, Jorge I, Martin P, Nisihara R, Skare T. Males and females with scleroderma: A comparative study in a Brazilian sample. Arch Rheumatol 2023;38(4):542-548. doi: 10.46497/ ArchRheumatol.2023.10011.
The study protocol was approved by the Evangelic Mackenzie School of Medicine Ethics Committee (date: 01.09.2020, no: 98305418.0.0000.0103). The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
A written informed consent was obtained from each patient.
Idea/concept: T.S., P.M.; Design: P.M., R.N.; Control/supervision: R.N., T.S.; Analysis and/or interpretation: T.S., M.C., I.J.; Literature review: M.C., I.J., T.S., P.M.; Writing the article: M.C., I.J., P.M.; Critical review: T.S., R.N.; References and fundings: M.C., I.J.; Materials: M.C., I.J.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.