SSc or systemic sclerosis is generally considered and treated as an autoimmune inflammatory disorder which cause and cure is yet to be found.
Also known as scleroderma, SSc is an uncommon, mysterious disease by which excessive fibrous are formed including vascular abnormalities. While primarily affecting the small arteries, SSc leads to decreased blood flow to the extremities of the body. This condition may later lead to Raynauld’s phenomenon, causing the hands and feet to be extremely cold and numb as well as ulcers on the fingers and toes and gangrene. SSc can also restrict blood flow to the internal organs, causing lung, kidney and heart damage.
Japanese researchers however, have recently proposed a theory on the root of SSc: being defective vasculogenesis (process of forming new blood vessels by producing new cells in the blood vessel lining).
As will be published in the June 2006 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, the research team from Keio University School of Medicine in Tokyo illustrated the results of an experiment that confirms the hypothesis that one of the most popular cholesterol-lowering drugs – atorvastatin (marketed with brand name Lipitor) is effective in increasing blood flow and improving the symptoms of SSc.
Read more at EurekAlert.
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