title: Demographic, clinical and antibody characteristics of patients with digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis: data from the DUO Registry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Digital Ulcers Outcome (DUO) Registry was designed to describe the clinical and antibody characteristics, disease course and outcomes of patients with digital ulcers associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
  
  
  METHODS
  The DUO Registry is a European, prospective, multicentre, observational, registry of SSc patients with ongoing digital ulcer disease, irrespective of treatment regimen. Data collected included demographics, SSc duration, SSc subset, internal organ manifestations, autoantibodies, previous and ongoing interventions and complications related to digital ulcers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Up to 19 November 2010 a total of 2439 patients had enrolled into the registry. Most were classified as either limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc; 52.2%) or diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc; 36.9%). Digital ulcers developed earlier in patients with dcSSc compared with lcSSc. Almost all patients (95.7%) tested positive for antinuclear antibodies, 45.2% for anti-scleroderma-70 and 43.6% for anticentromere antibodies (ACA). The first digital ulcer in the anti-scleroderma-70-positive patient cohort occurred approximately 5 years earlier than the ACA-positive patient group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides data from a large cohort of SSc patients with a history of digital ulcers. The early occurrence and high frequency of digital ulcer complications are especially seen in patients with dcSSc and/or anti-scleroderma-70 antibodies.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Diseases, Department of Inflammation, Division of Medicine, UCL Medical School, Royal Free Campus, Rowland Hill Street, London NW3 2PF, UK. cdenton@medsch.ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Christopher P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Denton
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Krieg
authors.forename: Loic
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guillevin
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schwierin
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.forename: Mariabeth
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Silkey
authors.forename: Maurice
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zultak
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matucci-Cerinic
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; C538950:anticentromere antibody