Anti-C1q autoantibodies may not serve as an adequate biomarker for lung manifestations in systemic sclerosis: a single centre, cross sectional study.

Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a rheumatic disease characterized by fibrosis in the skin and internal organs, including the lungs, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract as well as microvascular injuries. Deaths related to SSc are mostly attributed to involvement of the lungs and the heart, with pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) being the common lung conditions associated with SSc. Although the disease mechanism is not fully understood, it is clear that SSc pathogenesis contains a considerable immune component as evidenced by the presence of antinuclear autoantibodies (ANA) in the vast majority of patients.