title: [Lower incidence of severe damage to target organs in mexican patients with systemic sclerosis and diffuse skin affection].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the cumulative incidence of severe organ involvement in Mexican patients with systemic sclerosis (SS) and diffuse scleroderma at 3 years from the onset of SS symptoms, and to compare itwith the cumulative incidence observed in a cohort of white patients with SS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with SS and diffuse scleroderma were evaluated within the first 2 years from the onset of SS symptoms and were included. An estimation of the cumulative incidence of severe involvement to the skin, kidney, heart, lungs, and gastrointestinal track at 3 years from the onset of SS symptoms was carried out. This cumulative incidence was compared with that of white SS patients with diffuse scleroderma, using the one sample test for a binomial proportion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-three patients were included. The cumulative incidence of severe involvement to the skin was 3.17% (2/63) (95% CI, 0.04%-11); kidney involvement in 4.17% (3/63) (95% CI, 0.99%-13.29%); heart involvement in 1.6% (1/63) (95% CI, 0.04%-8.5%); lung involvement in 11.11% (7/63) (95% IC, 4.5%-21.5%); and gastrointestinal involvement in 4.7% (3/63) (95% IC, 0.99%-13.3%). Mexican patients had a lower Reumatol Clin. 2008;4(1):3-7 3 02 ORIG 2582 (3-7).qxp 23/1/08 11:09 Página 4 Rojas-Serrano J et al. Incidencia de daño grave en pacientes mexicanos con esclerosis sistémica incidence of severe skin involvement (P=.0001), kidney involvement (P=.03) and heart involvement (P=.03) compared to white SS patients with diffuse scleroderma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The cumulative incidence of severe organ involvement in SS Mexican patients with diffuse scleroderma was determined. The incidence of severe skin, kidney and heart involvement is lower than in white SS patients with diffuse scleroderma.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Facultad de Medicina. México.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rojas-Serrano
authors.forename: Helga
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Codina-Velásquez
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Medrano-Ramírez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Abraham Simón
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vera-Lastra
authors.forename: Janitzia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Mellado