[Clinical features of systemic scleroderma with lesions in respiratory organs]

This retrospective study included 64 patients divided into 2 groups. Group 1 was comprised of 34 patients with systemic scleroderma and signs of interstitial lung lesions (X-ray diagnostics), the control group included 30 patients with scleroderma alone. They were examined by general clinical, biochemical and immunological methods, ECG, Echo-CG, capillaroscopy, standard chest X-ray, spirometry, ultrasound studies of internal organs, oesophageal, gastric and duodenal endoscopy. It was shown that systemic scleroderma with signs of interstitial lung lesions is more frequently accompanied by clinical (cough, dyspnea, bilateral inspirational crepitation) and functional (reduced lung vital capacity) pulmonary disorders. Also, these patients have "pursed mouth" appearance, their skeletal muscles and blood circulatory system are involved in the pathological process which accounts for arterial hypertension and mitral valve sclerosis (Echo-CG), reduced hemoglobin level hypergammaglobilinemia, IgA variations, and leukocyturia.