Upper gastrointestinal involvement in systemic sclerosis: Findings in a real-life setting.

Upper gastrointestinal involvement in systemic sclerosis: Findings in a real-life setting. Exp Ther Med. 2019 Dec;18(6):5095-5100 Authors: Petcu A, Ghib LJ, Grad SM, Popovici C, Rogojan L, Rednic NV, Rednic S Abstract Gastrointestinal tract involvement is the most common visceral affectation in systemic sclerosis (SSc), but the manifestations may vary in extension and severity. Endoscopic and histopathological gastroesophageal findings were investigated in patients with SSc. A total of 79 consecutive patients with definite SSc were enrolled in a cross sectional study. Clinical data were collected, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsies from gastric mucosa were performed in all cases. Fifty-seven (72.1%) out of 79 SSc patients had gastroesophageal symptoms. The most frequent were dysphagia, present in 33 (41.7%) and gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in 23 (29.1%) patients. Out of the 79 patients, 22 were asymptomatic, but in 16 esophageal and gastric mucosa changes were endoscopically detected. Reflux esophagitis was found in 39 (49.3%) patients. The presence of esophageal manifestations was not related to the disease duration or with its other variables. Signs of gastritis were endoscopically described in 47 (59.4%) and confirmed on histopathologic examinations in 45 patients. In 31 patients without any endoscopic changes, 18 (22.7%) showed signs of gastritis on histopathologic examination. No significant statistical difference...
Source: Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine - Category: General Medicine Tags: Exp Ther Med Source Type: research