Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of patients with Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) in Valtrompia in northern Italy.
Methods: Patients were recruited from the records of 28 general practitioners (GPs) whose practices covered 38,348 individuals aged over 14 years, and from a public Hospital database covering all patients evaluated in community clinics, day-hospitals and inpatient units of the area. Crossing data from the two sources revealed a 100% concordance. Rheumatological re-evaluation confirmed a diagnosis of SSc in 13 patients (11 female, 2 male; 2 diffuse SSc, 11 limited SSc), fulfilling ACR criteria in 10 cases and Le-Roy-Medsger 2001 criteria in 3 further cases.
Results: Prevalence of SSc was estimated at 33.9 cases among 100,000 adults aged over 14 years (95% confidence intervals: 15.5-52.3).
Conclusion: This rather high prevalence reflects both changes in the diagnostic criteria for SSc including milder forms of disease, and recruitment of these mild cases due to active collaboration between GPs and specialists.