Morbi-mortality of obese patients with systemic sclerosis: A comparative study

The prevalence of systemic sclerosis (SSc), as well as obesity, has significantly increased in recent decades. To address the lack of data on obese SSc patients, we conducted a retrospective comparative study to assess the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and long-term consequences of obesity in SSc patients.

We conducted a retrospective comparative study at the Cochin University Hospital's Department of Internal Medicine (Paris) from 2000 to 2019.

Of the 911 SSc patients included, 90 (9.9%) were obese, comprising 79 females and 11 males. The median weight for obese patients was 90 [82-98] kg, compared to 60 [53-67] kg for non-obese patients, corresponding to a median body mass index of 33 [31-37] kg/m² and 23 [20-25] kg/m², respectively. Obese patients exhibited a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. The median modified Rodnan skin score was significantly higher in non-obese patients than in obese patients (6 [2-16] vs 3 [2-7]; P<0.05). Organ involvement did not differ significantly between obese and non-obese patients. We observed a lower number of deaths in obese SSc patients compared to non-obese SSc patients (6 [11%] vs. 26 deaths [25%], P=0.06). Analysis of 30-year Kaplan Meier survival curves did not show significant survival difference between obese and non-obese SSc patients.

This study of obese ScS patients reveals that they have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, lower mRSS, less calcinosis, and similar rates of organ damage and mortality compared to non-obese ScS patients.