Systemic sclerosis & Raynaud's
Differences in symptom experience among patients with systemic sclerosis: a cluster analytic approach to identifying subgroups
Authors' conclusion
Identification of distinct symptom clusters, particularly among SSc patients who experience mild and moderate symptoms, suggests potential differences in treatment approach and in mechanisms underlying symptom experience that require further study.
Study context
- Population
- Large SSc cohort from a single US academic medical centre (84% female, 41% diffuse cutaneous subtype, 59% early disease)
- Participants
- 587 participants
- Exposure
- Symptom-based subgroups: no/minimal vs mild vs moderate symptoms
- Outcome
- Patient subgroups based on patient-reported symptoms (pain interference, fatigue, sleep disturbance, dyspnoea, depression, anxiety)
Methodological detailsexploratory hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis, single-centre, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA)
- Exploratory hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis
- Single-centre
- MANOVA
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Symptom-based subgroups
- Three subgroups by symptom severity: no/minimal, mild and moderate
- Mild and moderate subgroups had similar disease severity but different symptom presentation
- Mild subgroup: main symptom cluster pain, fatigue and sleep disturbance
- Moderate subgroup: co-occurring pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, depression and anxiety
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Differences in symptom experience among patients with systemic sclerosis: a cluster analytic approach to identifying subgroups. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 3 August 2022. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →