1983 Volume 45 Issue 3 Pages 377-382
A 41-year-old Japanese woman, who noticed a struma and glycosuria 3 years ago, had Raynaud′s phenomenon and a sclerodactylia over fingers and forearm. She was admitted for evaluation of the spread of the sclerosis over the entire skin area. She was diagnosed clinical as a case of progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) as there were flexion contracture, ulcer and sclerosis on the fingers, a mask-like appearance, protruding of her lips without a nasolabial fold. Laboratory findings revealed diabetes mellitus following examination of 50g GTT, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis as the result of T3, T4 and TSH examination and Tc scintigram. Glycosaminoglycans in the urine were increasingly excreted, as compared to the normal controls. PCPG-AAN and PLP applications improved slightly the sclerosis on the forearms, but had no effect on the disturbances in breathing. There are some cases of PSS with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in the literature. The possible pathogenesis of PSS was discussed from the standpoint of immunologically-related disorders.
