Small intestinal bacterial growth in systemic sclerosis

Abstract

Summary Twenty unselected patients with proven systemic sclerosis had cultures of jejunal juice, and glucose/hydrogen breath tests for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Seven had counts of over I06 organisms/ml, higher than was ever found in a control group. Four of these seven had a positive breath test. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth appears to be relatively common in systemic sclerosis, affecting approximately one‐third of unselected patients.

Prevalence of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular risk factors in a national cross-sectional cohort study of systemic sclerosis

“…The higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolaemia in AusDiab may reflect increased ascertainment in this cohort, in which subjects underwent an oral glucose tolerance test in addition to measurement of fasting plasma glucose and lipid levels. However, the observation that the prevalence of these three metabolic conditions is reduced in SSc is intriguing and could point to a disease-related effect, perhaps mediated by (subclinical) malabsorption, present in up to one-third of SSc patients 21. Previous studies have demonstrated lower levels of high-density6 22 and low-density lipoprotein6 cholesterol in SSc patients compared with controls, although this finding has not been consistently reproduced 23 24…”

Systemic Sclerosis and the Gastrointestinal Tract—Clinical Approach

“…Small bowel hypomotility induces stasis of intestinal contents and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), which contribute to bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, malabsorption, and weight loss 30. The prevalence of SIBO in SSc has been reported to be 30%–62% 31–35. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is one of the main pathogenetic factors of malabsorption which is associated with 50% mortality over 8.5 years in SSc patients 36.…”

Atypical presentation of scleroderma in infancy

“…The generalized sclerosis of skin with puckered lips, edematous limbs, small oral stoma, areas of hyperpigmentation, atrophied skin, and hair loss which were seen in this child are the typical skin lesions found in systemic sclerosis. Also, the child had gastro-esophageal reXux, recurrent diarrhea, dilated stomach, dilated bowel loops, failure to thrive, and hemorrhoids, which are common gastrointestinal manifestation of scleroderma [8][9][10]. The chest X-ray showed bilateral haziness, which could be feature of lung Wbrosis.…”