9 November 2016 | Otylia Kowal-Bielecka, Jaap Fransen, Jerome Avouac, Mike Becker, Agnieszka Kulak, Yannick Allanore, Oliver Distler, Philip Clements, Maurizio Cutolo, Laszlo Czirjak, Nemanja Damjanov, Francesco del Galdo, Christopher P Denton, Jörg H W Distler, Ivan Foeldvari, Kim Figelstone, Marc Frerix, Daniel E Furst, Serena Guiducci, Nicolas Hunzelmann, Dinesh Khanna, Marco Matucci-Cerinic, Ariane L Herrick, Frank van den Hoogen, Jacob M van Laar, Gabriela Riemekasten, Richard Silver, Vanessa Smith, Alberto Sulli, Ingo Tanner, Alan Tyndall, Joep Welling, Frederic Wigley, Gabriele Valentini, Ulrich A Walker, Francesco Zulian, Ulf Müller-Ladner, EUSTAR Coauthors
The 2016 European League against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc) were updated to address new therapeutic questions. The task force, consisting of 32 SSc clinical experts, 2 patients, a clinical epidemiologist, and 2 research fellows, used a Delphi approach to select 46 clinical questions from 170 submitted by EUSTAR centers. Systematic literature reviews were conducted for each question, and 16 recommendations were developed based on available evidence and consensus among experts and patients. The new recommendations include phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors for Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) and digital ulcers (DUs), endothelin receptor antagonists, prostacyclin analogues, and PDE-5 inhibitors for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Fluoxetine is recommended for RP, and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is recommended for selected patients with rapidly progressive SSc. The recommendations also address other treatments and provide suggestions for future research. These updated recommendations aim to guide rheumatologists in managing SSc patients more effectively.The 2016 European League against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc) were updated to address new therapeutic questions. The task force, consisting of 32 SSc clinical experts, 2 patients, a clinical epidemiologist, and 2 research fellows, used a Delphi approach to select 46 clinical questions from 170 submitted by EUSTAR centers. Systematic literature reviews were conducted for each question, and 16 recommendations were developed based on available evidence and consensus among experts and patients. The new recommendations include phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors for Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) and digital ulcers (DUs), endothelin receptor antagonists, prostacyclin analogues, and PDE-5 inhibitors for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Fluoxetine is recommended for RP, and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is recommended for selected patients with rapidly progressive SSc. The recommendations also address other treatments and provide suggestions for future research. These updated recommendations aim to guide rheumatologists in managing SSc patients more effectively.