Systemic sclerosis & Raynaud's
Hand Swelling and Other Non–Raynaud Phenomenon Symptoms as the Initial Presentation of Systemic Sclerosis: Prevalence and Clinical Associations in Two US Cohorts
Authors' conclusion
In two large US cohorts, >30% of patients began to manifest SSc with puffy fingers/hands or other symptoms, without the "warning sign" of RP as their initial symptom.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with early systemic sclerosis (SSc) in the GENISOS and Collaborative National Quality and Efficacy Registry (CONQUER) US cohorts, enrolled within five years of the first non-RP symptomGENISOS 439
- Exposure
- Non-RP initial symptom vs raynaud phenomenon (RP) as initial symptom
- Outcome
- Initial clinical manifestation of SSc (non-RP initial symptom)
Methodological detailstwo early SSc cohorts (GENISOS and CONQUER), enrolment within five years of the first non-RP symptom
- Two early SSc cohorts (GENISOS and CONQUER)
- Enrolment within five years of the first non-RP symptom
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Non-RP initial symptom (prevalence)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Non-RP symptom before RP by race and ethnicity
- More common in Black patients than in other race and ethnicity categories
Clinical features at enrolment and autoantibodies, non-RP first vs RP first
- Non-RP first more likely to have diffuse cutaneous involvement and joint contractures
- Non-RP first had higher prevalence of RNA polymerase III antibody positivity
Original publication
Hand Swelling and Other Non–Raynaud Phenomenon Symptoms as the Initial Presentation of Systemic Sclerosis: Prevalence and Clinical Associations in Two US Cohorts. Arthritis Rheumatol. Published 22 July 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →