Characteristics of patients with systemic sclerosis living in Qatar

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the demographic, clinical, and immunological characteristics of patients with systemic sclerosis living in Qatar. Method: This retrospective study included 42 patients with systemic sclerosis who attended Rheumatology Clinics at Hamad General Hospital in Doha, Qatar, between January 2000 and December 2014. All patients fulfilled the 1980 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for systemic sclerosis. Results: The 42 consecutively recruited patients of mixed ethnicities consisted of 37 (88.1%) females and 5 (11.9%) males. Of the total 42 patients, 22 (52.4%) had diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) and 20 (47.6%) had limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc). Mean age at onset of first symptoms was 34.5 ± 12 years, and mean age at diagnosis was 36.1 ± 11.5 years. During follow-up, Raynaud's phenomenon occurred in 36 (85.7%) patients, sclerodactyly in 39 (92.9%) patients, digital ulcers in 16 (38.1%) patients, calcinosis in 6 (14.3%) patients, telangiectasia in 16 (38.1%) patients, and arthritis in 13 (31%) patients. The gastrointestinal and respiratory systems were the most frequently affected internal organs. Gastrointestinal involvement was present in 36 (85.7%) patients, and respiratory involvement was found in 30 (71.4%) patients. The majority of patients had positive antinuclear antibodies (ANA; 97.6%). Anti-Scl-70 antibody was found in 66.7% and anti-centromere antibody (ACA) was detected in 14.3% of the patients. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study that describes the clinical and immunological profile of patients with systemic sclerosis living in Qatar. This study cohort showed an earlier age of disease onset and diagnosis than that reported in other international studies. Furthermore, in contrast to several other studies, the diffuse type of scleroderma was more commonly observed than the limited type, which resulted in a high frequency of anti-Scl-70 antibody and interstitial lung disease.