DOI: 10.36347/sjmcr.2015.v03i09.042

Pages: 928-932

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystem disease that is associated with inflammation, fibrosis and vasculopathy. There are two major subsets of systemic sclerosis, limited cutaneous SSc and diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc). Respiratory symptoms are common in patients with SSc, but physical examination often fails to establish if the underlying cause is interstitial lung disease (ILD), pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), impaired locomotion due to systemic disease or loss of fitness. Impaired lung function is usually evident on pulmonary function testing, with the pattern of functional impairment often discriminating usefully between ILD and PAH. The presence of PAH can be indicated by echocardiography and must be confirmed by right heart catheterization. Whereas chest radiographs detect established ILD, high-resolution CT can identify earlier or very mild inflammatory changes. Here we present a case, where a young lady presented with diffuse type of systemic sclerosis. She was given a multidisciplinary approach, and a thorough systemic examination of Dermatology, Cardiology, Pulmonology, and Gastroenterology was done. She was investigated and advised accordingly.