Systemic sclerosis: vascular, pulmonary and immunological aspects
In systemic sclerosis (SSc), interstitial lung disease (ILD) and engagement of the vascular system lead to increased morbidity and mortality.The aim of this thesis was to elucidate, in a consecutively included cohort of SSc (limited and diffuse) patients (n = 33), the T cell cytokine profile driving the disease in ILD and to explore the role of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and its inhibitor