How much of skin improvement over time in systemic sclerosis is due to normal ageing? A prospective study with shear-wave elastography.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Measurement of skin involvement is essential for the diagnosis and assessment of prognosis and disease progression in systemic sclerosis (SSc). The modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) is the gold standard measure of skin thickness, but it has been criticised for the lack of objectivity, poor inter-observer reproducibility and lack of sensitivity to change. Recently, shear-wave elastography (SWE) emerged as a promising tool for the objective and quantitative assessment of the skin in SSc patients. However, no studies have evaluated its sensitivity to change over time.

Objective

To assess changes in skin stiffness in SSc patients using SWE during a 5-year follow-up.

Methods

Skin stiffness [i.e. shear-wave velocity values (SWV) in metres per second] was assessed

SUBMITTER: Santiago T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7079468 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature