According to a story from Scleroderma News, a recent study found that men were more likely to have severe scleroderma early in their diagnosis in comparison to women. This is despite the fact that women are more likely to be affected by the rare autoimmune illness in general. Although scleroderma can vary widely in its presentation, the findings suggest that men and women should be treated in different ways.
About Scleroderma
Scleroderma, which is also referred to as systemic sclerosis, describes a group of autoimmune diseases that can cause system-wide effects in the most severe cases. The mechanism of this disease is believed to be an autoimmune response in which the immune system mistakenly attacks body tissue. Some factors that may contribute to triggering the autoimmune response include mutations of the HLA genes and exposure to certain materials, such as certain solvents, white spirits, ketones, and silica. Symptoms are broad ranging and systemic, including kidney failure, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, stroke, headaches, facial pain, congestive heart failure, skin abnormalities, high blood pressure, chest pain, indigestion, and many more. Treatments are varied and depend on the symptoms, but most patients take medications in an attempt to suppress the autoimmune response. In severe cases, life expectancy is around 11 years from onset. To learn more about scleroderma, click here.
Findings From The Data Review
The substantial variation in how scleroderma manifests highlights the need for further research to understand what causes these variations, and the results of this data review suggest that gender could be a significant factor. This review assessed that date from over 1,000 patients. Men were found to have higher scores on the modified Rodnan skin score, a measure which evaluates the thickness of skin; scleroderma causes skin to thicken. In addition, 59 percent of men were found to have disease considered active compared to only 38 percent of women.
There were other measures of disease severity in which males also scored higher, and they were more likely to have lung and muscle involvement. At this juncture, it can be difficult for doctors to make grounded decisions when it comes to treating scleroderma, but this data suggests that male patients should be more closely monitored for signs of systemic, severe disease.
Check out the original study here.
