ULTRASTRUCTURE OF MUSCLE MICROVASCULATURE IN PROGRESSIVE SYSTEMIC-SCLEROSIS - RELATION TO CLINICAL WEAKNESS

  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 10  (5) , 741-747
Abstract
Capillary basement membrane (BM) abnormalities are known to be a feature of the muscle pathology of progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), but the relation of such an abnormality to clinical disease is uncertain. The muscle microvasculature of 28 patients with PSS was analyzed and compared to both normal controls and to patients with other rheumatic diseases. The PSS group as a whole apparently have significantly greater numbers of abnormal capillaries as compared to controls (P < 0.005), and the PSS patients with clinical muscle weakness have even more severe and frequent abnormalities (P < 0.001).