Systemic sclerosis & Raynaud's
Evaluation of a screening algorithm to detect systemic sclerosis-related myopathy
Authors' conclusion
Biopsy-proven muscle involvement was identified in 9.9% of screened SSc patients, and detection of IM increased by ∼4.5-fold compared with routine care
Study context
- Population
- Consecutive Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) patients in the Australian Scleroderma Cohort Studymedian follow-up 5.19 years
- Participants
- 1,443 patients
- Exposure
- Proposed screening algorithm vs routine care
- Outcome
- Biopsy-proven SSc-related myopathy (inflammatory myopathy)
Methodological detailsconsecutive patients, annual assessment, screening algorithm applied in a subset (South Australia)
- Consecutive patients
- Annual assessment
- Screening algorithm applied in a subset (South Australia)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Biopsy-proven IM
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Biopsy-proven myopathy during routine care, whole cohort · median follow-up 5.19 years
- 26/1253 had biopsy-proven myopathy
- 2.1%
- Biopsy-proven inflammatory myopathy (IM)
- 1.4%
Weakness and elevated creatine kinase (CK) at least once during routine care, whole cohort · median follow-up 5.19 years
- Weakness, 260/1407
- 18.5%
- Elevated CK, 203/1282
- 15.8%
South Australia (SA) patients: weakness, elevated CK and muscle biopsy based on a positive screen
- Weakness, 117/425
- 27.5%
- Elevated CK, 80/421
- 19%
- Muscle biopsy after positive screen, 42/423
- 9.9%
- Positive screen from weakness and/or elevated CK
- n = 48
- Positive screen from myositis-specific/myositis-associated autoantibodies
- n = 10
- Positive screen from MRI abnormalities
- n = 8
SA biopsy findings
- All 42 biopsies abnormal; IM, 28/42
- 66.7%
- Non-specific myopathic changes, 14/42
- 33.3%
Original publication
Evaluation of a screening algorithm to detect systemic sclerosis-related myopathy. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 28 January 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →