Clinical and immunological manifestations of systemic scleroderma in children according to data from a rheumatology center

A retrospective study contains clinical and immunological characteristics of juvenile systemic scleroderma manifestations in 78 children according to data from a single rheumatology center. The average age of onset was 8.3 years, girls outnumbered boys, the form with diffuse skin involvement was more common, and among visceral involvement, the gastrointestinal tract and lungs were the most commonly affected; antinuclear factor was detected in 81% of children, anticentromere antibodies in 31%, and antitopoisomerase antibodies in 8.5%. The 5-year survival rate of patients in the main group was 100%, and the probability of survival at 74 months was 70%. Our data largely coincide with the studies of other authors. No obvious natural pathomorphosis of juvenile systemic scleroderma has been established in the 2000s compared to 1960–1980; therapeutic pathomorphosis of the disease is likely to occur. Key words: pathomorphosis, age of onset, visceral involvement, autoantibodies, survival