Tocilizumab and rituximab for systemic sclerosis interstitial lung disease: a real-world cohort analysis.

Objectives: Systemic sclerosis (SSc)-interstitial lung disease (ILD) is one of the leading causes of mortality in SSc. Data from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) supports rituximab and tocilizumab monotherapy but there is limited data regarding their use for those who fail standard immunomodulatory therapies.

Methods: SSc patients treated with rituximab or tocilizumab were retrospectively identified in a single centre cohort.

Recent developments in connective tissue disease associated pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Connective tissue disease associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (CTD-PAH) has benefited from the major treatment advances that have occurred within pulmonary hypertension over the past three decades. Inclusion of CTD-PAH cases in pivotal clinical trials led to regulatory approval and drug availability. This has improved outcomes but there are additional challenges for management.

Biological hallmarks of systemic sclerosis are present in the skin and serum of patients with Very Early Diagnosis of SSc (VEDOSS).

Objective: The Very Early Diagnosis of Systemic Sclerosis (VEDOSS) EUSTAR study showed that, despite not showing any clinical sign of disease, patients with Raynaud's and antinuclear antibodies and/or capillaroscopy abnormalities often progress to systemic sclerosis (SSc) within 5 years. We aimed to determine whether VEDOSS biosamples show biological SSc activity pre-clinically.

Methods: Skin biopsies were histologically analysed.

Performance of the EULAR Systemic sclerosis Impact of Disease (ScleroID) questionnaire as a patient-reported outcome measure for patients with diffuse systemic sclerosis.

Objective: Systemic sclerosis Impact of Disease (ScleroID) is the first comprehensive patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) specifically developed for systemic sclerosis (SSc). We investigated the performance of ScleroID in patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc), as a prerequisite for its use in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) testing potentially disease-modifying drugs.

Methods: All patients with dcSSc from the large, multicentric, ScleroID cohort were included.