title: Nailfold capillaroscopic parameters and skin telangiectasia patterns in patients with systemic sclerosis.
abstract: To correlate nailfold capillaroscopic parameters with the presence of skin telangiectases (TAs) in systemic sclerosis patients (SSc).
  
  
  
  Thirty-three consecutive patients (28 women and 5 men, mean age 59±21years) affected by SSc according to the ACR/EULAR criteria, 30 with limited (lcSSc) and 3 with diffuse (dcSSc) skin disease, displaying the presence of skin TAs on face, hands, forearms, neck, and décolleté were recruited. Nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC) was performed to classify the patients into one of the three main patterns of SSc microangiopathy ("early", "active", "late"), and to calculate the microangiopathy evolution score (MES). SSc patients underwent also dermoscopy (DS) for the analysis of the TA score and patterns (spot or reticular). Possible correlations between clinical findings, serum autoantibodies, TA patterns and both NVC patterns and MES were investigated.
  
  
  
  The "late" NVC pattern was found associated with a highest total number of TAs (p=0.005): in particular both "spot" and "reticular" TA patterns were found equally distributed in SSc patients with the "late" pattern. High MES values were found associated with the highest total number of TAs (p=0.003), with the "reticular" but not with the "spot" DS pattern (p=0.003) and with the "late" pattern of microangiopathy (p=0.001).
  
  
  
  The severity of nailfold microangiopathy seems to correlate in SSc patients with both progressive cutaneous microvascular abnormalities and Medsger's severity score, as evaluated by NVC analysis and DS. The assessment of the microvascular damage may be useful not only during the onset of SSc for the early diagnosis, but also to monitor its evolution.
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory and Academic Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pizzorni
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Dermoscopy and Nailfold Capillaroscopy Services, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS FLMM, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Giampetruzzi
authors.affiliation: Service of Allergology, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mondino
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS FLMM, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Facchiano
authors.affiliation: Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS FLMM, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Damiano
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Abeni
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory and Academic Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paolino
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory and Academic Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ruaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Ghent University Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory and Academic Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sulli
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory and Academic Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST Genova, Italy. Electronic address: mcutolo@unige.it.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cutolo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002196:Capillaries / Q000473:pathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D046169:Dermoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020678:Microscopic Angioscopy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009262:Nails / Q000098:blood supply*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply*; D013684:Telangiectasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Dermoscopy; Microangiopathy evolution score; Microvascular damage; Nailfold videocapillaroscopy; Systemic sclerosis; Telangiectases