Systemic sclerosis and scleroderma renal crisis in African American patients

Scleroderma, or systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune fibrosing disease that encompasses a range of clinical presentations and severities. Prior investigations have shown that African Americans exhibit nearly twice the incidence of disease compared to non-African American patients, and overall worse outcomes. ³² This is particularly evident when analyzing scleroderma renal crisis, a feared complication of SSc which is 3.5 times prevalent in the African American community compared to non-A.A. ⁵ Although the exact etiology is not fully understood, associations between ethnicity, pathogenesis, and complexities of disease have been investigated, illuminating an interplay between genetics, environmental and social triggers in the development of disease.