Beneficial effects of Helicobacter pylori eradication in systemic sclerosis patients.

Objective: Previous studies have shown that Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection is associated with increased activity and severity of systemic sclerosis (SSc), hence we aimed to evaluate the effect of HP eradication on various symptoms and inflammatory indices.

Methods: The SSc patients without dyspeptic symptoms were prospectively enrolled in this 18-month cross-sectional study. Patients were divided into two groups based on determination of HP infection.

Reduced salivary flow and caries status are correlated with disease activity and severity in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis.

Objective: To analyze the correlations of saliva production and pH value with disease activity, disease severity, and oral health-related quality of life in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) without concomitant Sjögren's syndrome (SS) or SS-related antibodies.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 28 patients with dcSSc and matching healthy controls. Sialometric assessment and caries status were compared between the two groups.

[FIBROMYALGIA: IS IT A RHEUMATIC DISEASE?].

Fibromylagia (FM) is a complex chronic condition usually presenting with symptoms of widespread pain and fatigue, as well as sleep and cognitive disorders. The diagnosis is made by exclusion of other diseases and according to the EULAR criteria. The treatment of the disease is multidisciplinary and associated with a better understanding of the disease pathophysiology.

[Long-term glucocorticoid therapy and the rapid development of squamous cell carcinoma in systemic sclerosis: Is there a connection?].

Systemic sclerosis (SSC) is an autoimmune disease associated with the risk of malignancies, especially lung cancer, among which adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the most frequent. A 63-year-old female patient with SSC was hospitalized due to blackouts, poor general condition, and changes in her fingers. Because of subsequent epileptic seizures resulting in weakness of the left side of her body, computerized tomography (CT) of the neurocranium was performed which showed metastatic lesions.

[Polymyositis and systemic sclerosis overlap - A case report and a review of the literature].

Polymyositis (PM) is an autoimmune disease which affects skeletal muscles. In young age, it usually occurs as an idiopathic disorder associated with specific autoantibodies (anti-Jo), while in older age it is often associated with neoplasms. It can present with symptoms of other autoimmune diseases, such as systemic sclerosis (SSc), a rare progressive disease characterized by collagen deposits in various tissues and organs.