Systemic sclerosis & Raynaud's
Factor Analysis to Determine Subgroups of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Systemic Sclerosis
Authors' conclusion
Despite the high correlation between GI manifestations, it is possible to detect subgroups of SSc-GI symptoms.
Study context
- Population
- Australian Scleroderma Cohort Study participants with systemic sclerosis (SSc) who completed the GIT 2.0 questionnaire
- Participants
- 773 participants
- Outcome
- Latent factors (subgroups) of SSc-GI symptoms on factor analysis of GIT 2.0 domain scores and individual question responses
Methodological detailsfactor analysis, cluster analysis
- Factor analysis
- Cluster analysis
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Latent factors of SSc-GI symptoms (individual GIT 2.0 question responses)
- SSc-GI symptoms highly correlated
- 4 latent factors: upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract symptoms, bloating, diarrhea and incontinence, and constipation
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Patient clusters (cluster analysis)
- 2 patient clusters, distinguished by disease duration and severity of GI manifestations
- Anticentromere antibodies and PAH more common in participants with severe GI disease
Original publication
Factor Analysis to Determine Subgroups of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Systemic Sclerosis. J Rheumatol. Published 1 February 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →