Vitamin D serum levels in patients with systemic sclerosis and very early systemic sclerosis (VEDOSS).

Introduction: Vitamin D may be capable of interfering with the pathophysiological pathways involved in systemic sclerosis, by virtue of its well-known immunomodulatory effects. In this study, we aimed at evaluating the differences and the correlations between vitamin D levels in systemic sclerosis patients versus patients with very early systemic sclerosis.

Methods: One hundred twenty-six patients (80 definite systemic sclerosis and 46 very early systemic sclerosis) were included in this case control study.

Liver Involvement in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis: Role of Transient Elastography in the Assessment of Hepatic Fibrosis and Steatosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare, multisystemic disorder of connective tissue characterized by widespread inflammation, vascular abnormalities, and both skin and visceral organ fibrosis. Tissue fibrosis is the final phase of a complex biological process of immune activation and vascular damage. The aim of the study was to assess hepatic fibrosis and steatosis in SSc patients by transient elastography (TE).