Systemic sclerosis & Raynaud's
Risk factors of cognitive function impairment in patients with systemic sclerosis
Authors' conclusion
In addition to age, level of education, employment, presence of chronic hypertension and pain, which are well-known factors affecting cognitive abilities in general population, we have highlighted the role of cardiovascular function, the diastolic dysfunction, the level of haemoglobin and decreased muscle strength in SSc individuals.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and age- and sex-matched healthy controls
- Participants
- 160 vs 62
- Exposure
- SSc vs age- and sex-matched healthy controls
- SScn = 160
- Healthy controlsn = 62reference
- Outcome
- Cognitive function (MMSE, Digit Span Forward-Backward, Trail Making A, B and Digit Symbol tests) and its associations with clinical parameters
- Follow-up
- baseline and one-year follow-up
Methodological detailsage- and sex-matched healthy controls, 12-month follow-up, linear regression models
- Age- and sex-matched healthy controls
- 12-month follow-up
- Linear regression models
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- No cognitive impairment in the early stages of the disease, even in severe patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc
- Cognitive scores independently influenced by age, education, pain intensity, employment status, hypertension, haemoglobin level, cardiac function and muscle strength (linear regression)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Correlation of 1-year changes in 6MWT with changes in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) · one-year follow-up
- Rho
- 0.259
- p
- P = 0.002
Original publication
Risk factors of cognitive function impairment in patients with systemic sclerosis. Clin Exp Rheumatol. Published 1 August 2025. doi:10.
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