COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS

Background: Cognitive dysfunction has been recently found in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) (1). Objectives: To evaluate the occurrence of cognitive dysfunction in patients with SSc admitted to a tertiary centre of Rheumatology. Methods: Twenty-six SSc consecutive patients (22 F, 4 M; age ranging from 17 to 69 years, median 53) admitted to the Rheumatology Unit of the Second University of Naples were studied to analyse the relationship between the cognitive impairment and the demographic (age and school attendance) and clinical (disease duration, activity, disability, and coexistence of mental illnesses) variables. In all patients were performed, at Neurological Unit of the Second University of Naples, neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric tests for the evaluation of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Mental Deterioration Battery (MDB), the Montgomery and Asberg's Depression Rating Scale. Results: According to the criteria of MDB, 14 patients showed a decreased cognitive performance and, in detail, an early stage of cognitive dysfunction was noted. The neuropsychological state did not differ among patients divided according to the demographic variables (age, and school attendance) and the presence or not of neuropsychiatric alterations. Patients with the diffuse form of the disease showed a greater incidence of cognitive dysfunction. Conclusion: Our results suggest that an early cognitive dysfunction in SSc seems to be related to disease severity as defined by clinical subset.1. Nobili F.,Cutolo M., Castaldi A., et al. Impaired quantitative cerebral blood flow in scleroderma patient. J Neurol Sci 1997, 152, 63 1. Nobili F.,Cutolo M., Castaldi A., et al. Impaired quantitative cerebral blood flow in scleroderma patient. J Neurol Sci 1997, 152, 63