Treatment of severe Raynaud's phenomenon with bosentan in a patient with systemic sclerosis
Abstract
Treatment of severe Raynaud's phenomenon with bosentan in a patient with systemic sclerosis J. Dunne 1 , 2 , J. Dutz 2 , K. Shojania 2 , B. Ng 3 and S. van Eeden 1 , 2 , 3 1 Department of Medicine, St Paul's Hospital, 2 University of British Columbia, 3 Capture Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research, Vancouver, BC, Canada Accepted August 16, 2005. S ir , Raynaud's phenomenon is characterized by recurrent episodes of vasospasm most commonly occurring in the hands and feet. It is a manifestation of the widespread vascular involvement that occurs in systemic sclerosis 1 . Digital ischaemic and necrotic lesions are a frequent complication, with an estimated frequency of 30–40% 2 . Recent studies indicate that bosentan prevents the occurrence of new digital ulcers 3 and may promote actual healing 4 , 5 . The effects of bosentan on peripheral blood flow, circulating endothelial cells (CD146 + ), and progenitor cells (CD34 + ) involved in vessel repair, have not been reported. We … Full Text of this Article