Turkish Journal of Geriatrics 2004 , Vol 7, Issue 3
ISCHEMIC STROKE ACCOMPANYING SCLERODERMA
Ayşe Pınar TİTİZ , Şerefnur ÖZTÜRK
Ankara Numune EÄŸitim ve AraÅŸtrma Hastanesi 1. Nöroloji KliniÄŸi, Ankara Progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) is a generalized connective tissue disease, charactrised by inflammatory, vascular and fibrotic changes of skin and a variety of internal organs. Neurologic manifestations in PSS, which consisting mainly of muscle changes and peripheral neuropathy, have been reported in only 0.8% to 5.6% of patients. Central nervous system involvement is rare, with few case reports of cerebral arteritis. A 52 year old woman was admitted with aphasia and right hemiparesis to emergency unit. She had been treated for Scleroderma since 1996 and hev clinical and laboratory findings confirmed to progressive systemic sclerosis. Right peripheral facial paralysis and right hemiparesis were established in neurological examination. While on the early period of patient’s cranial computerized tomography (CT) there was a hypodens area at the left temporoparietal region because of to ischemia, on control cranial MRI, left frontotemporoparietal infarct was established. Besides, there were ischemic gliotic lesions at left centrum semiovale. The etiology of thrombosis at anticardiolipin antibody (+) patient was thaught to be related to scleroderma. The patient with severe disphagia and died because of aspiration pneumonia. Clinical and laboratory findings of anticardiolipin antibody (+) patient were reviewed as related with central nervous system involvement of scleroderma. Keywords : Scleroderma, Sroke, Anticardiolipin antibody