Barbara White

TL;DR: One year of oral cyclophosphamide in patients with symptomatic scleroderma-related interstitial lung disease had a significant but modest beneficial effect on lung function, dyspnea, thickening of the skin, and the health-related quality of life.

TL;DR: The m-Rodnan total skin thickness score is at least as reliable for measuring skin thickness in SSc as are the ARA and Ritchie joint tenderness counts for assessing joint disease in rheumatoid arthritis.

TL;DR: Three independent studies demonstrate that the Rodnan skin thickness scoring techniques are reproducible among different observers (the within patient standard deviation being consistently about 5 units) and provide valuable information needed for sample size calculations for SSc trials in which skin thickness score is an outcome variable.

TL;DR: A retrospective analysis of pulmonary function and survival in patients with scleroderma and alveolitis, as identified by using bronchoalveolar lavage or lung biopsy is performed.

TL;DR: One year of CYC improved lung function, skin scores, dyspnea, and health status/disability, effects which either persisted or increased further for several months after stopping therapy, but all of these effects waned and were no longer apparent at 24 months.