Highlights
Research News
- Angiogenesis is the growth of new blood vessels. Research published in 2005 shows that many factors controlling this process are abnormal in people with scleroderma. Patients who have scleroderma and pulmonary vascular disease also show a significant increase in endostatins, which block the growth of new blood vessels.
- Wrapping a band tightly around the arm and inflating and deflating it like a blood pressure cuff helps stimulate blood flow to the area. Experts are now studying IPC pump therapy for patients who have ulcers on their upper arms. In a small pilot study, using an IPC pump for an average of 5 hours per day healed 96% of ulcers. Until now, amputation has been considered the primary therapy for patients with such ulcers.
- Animal studies have found that administration of IVIg can prevent and reduce the severity of scleroderma and other autoimmune diseases. Early studies in patients with scleroderma found it can improve skin fibrosis.
Antibodies and Scleroderma
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Specific antibodies have been linked to scleroderma. Researchers have discovered that pulmonary fibrosis, one of the leading causes of death among people with scleroderma, is associated with the presence of antitopoisomerase (TOPO). They have also found that the presence or absence of specific autoantibodies is associated with pulmonary hypertension, vascular disease, renal crisis, interstitial fibrosis, and other significant complications of scleroderma. Therefore, identifying the presence of autoantibodies may be helpful in determining diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of people with scleroderma
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