Characteristics

 Total ACA Nuc RNP Topo Non
Number
Age (yrs)
Duration# (yrs)
Female sex (%)
Diffuse cutaneous type (%)
Smoking (%)
SSc-specific autoantibodies
Anti-centromere Ab
Anti-RNP Ab
Anti-topoisomerase-I Ab
Nucleolar pattern of anti-nuclear Ab
Lung involvement, n (%)		 226
59.9 ± 12.1
9.1 ± 7.4
91.0
34.0
31.0 107
49
20
36
73 		101
62.9 ± 10.3
9.3 ± 7.4
95.0
23.8
32.5 101
0
0
0
17 (16.8)		 37
59.4 ± 12.6
5.7 ± 4.6
89.2
37.8
33.3 6
6
0
34
13 (35.1)		 41
55.0 ± 14.6*
12.0 ± 9.3
95.1
36.6
24.2 0
41
0
0
14 (34.1)		 20
59.2+13.5
9.8+11.0
80.0
75.0**
36.8 0
2
20
2
15 (75.0)***		 27
58.9+10.9
8.5+7.3
77.8
29.6
28.6 0
0
0
0
14 (51.9)***
#Time from appearance of first symptoms to the diagnosis of SSc
*Values are significantly different from clusters 1.
**Values are significantly different from the other 4 clusters.
***Values are significantly different from clusters 1, 2, and 3.
Data are presented as the mean ± standard deviation or number of subjects. Categorical data and continuous data were compared using Fisher’s exact test and Mann- Whitney U-test, respectively.
Ab: Antibody; ACA: Patients with Anti-centromere Ab (cluster 1); Nuc: Patients with Nucleolar Pattern of Antinuclear Antibody (cluster 2); RNP: Patients with Antiribonucleic Protein (cluster 3); Topo: Patients with Anti-topoisomerase I (cluster 4); Non: Patients Negative for Antinuclear Antibody and Negative for Systemic Sclerosis- Specific Antibodies (cluster 5)
Table 1: Baseline Patient Characteristics.