Modern concepts of kidney damage in patients with systemic scleroderma

Abstract

Systemic sclerosis, or systemic scleroderma (SSD), is an autoimmune disease of connective tissue, the main clinical signs of which are caused by widespread microcirculation disorders, fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. According to morphological studies, 80% of patients with SSD have kidney changes, including those not associated with rheumatic diseases. While the prevalence of sclerodermic renal crisis is currently estimated at 2-5%, an asymptomatic decrease in renal function ("mute uremia") due to the presence of multimorbid and comorbid pathology is much more often noted. Its frequency in patients with SSD can reach 55%.