Solvent induced systemic sclerosis: A case report with literature review

Abstract

Systemic sclerosis is an important autoimmune disease. Sclerodermatous skin changes and systemic sclerosis have been reported to occur as a result of occupational exposure with several different organic solvents. We describe a 56-year-old man who developed systemic sclerosis with skin and renal involvement after working for 20 years in a tire industry, where he had prolonged exposure to toluene and benzene by inhalation. Tire building has some process such as mixing, blender, calendaring, extruding and vulcanization. Solvents such as benzene and toluene produced during these procedure specially vulcanization. Our patient had worked in a no ventilated workplace, also the exposure level of benzene and toluene was more than threshold exposure limit. He mentioned the same symptoms (Raynaud's phenomenon) in one of his co workers that quitted his work.