Gut disease in systemic sclerosis - new approaches to common problems

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Rheumatology
• Immunology

Background:

• Systemic sclerosis (SSc) frequently involves the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, presenting heterogeneously.
• GI dysfunction in SSc impacts patient quality of life and disease progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for SSc-related GI disease.
• To discuss the quantification of gut perfusion and motility.
• To explore the role of the microbiome and empiric treatment risks in SSc.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on SSc GI diagnostics and therapeutics.
• Discussion of noninvasive measurement techniques for gut perfusion and neural-microvascular communication.
• Analysis of challenges in SSc microbiome research.

Main Results:

• Valuable diagnostics exist to assess gut perfusion and function in SSc.
• Simple diagnostic tests are crucial to prevent complications from empiric treatments.
• The gut microbiome and dysmotility-targeting drugs are active research areas.

Conclusions:

• SSc GI involvement is diverse, necessitating tailored therapeutic approaches.
• Noninvasive GI measurements can guide the initiation and cessation of treatments.
• Further research into the microbiome and nitric oxide's role in SSc gut dysfunction is warranted.