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Abstract
The prevalence of clinically significant depression or anxiety disorders is 30%-50% among patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
- Multi-organ involvement, chronic pain, physical disability, and disease-related stigma are established risk factors for depression and anxiety in SSc.
- Three key biological mechanisms contributing to psychiatric comorbidities include immune dysregulation leading to neuroinflammation, cerebral microvascular damage with chronic hypoxia, and tissue fibrosis combined with persistent stress.
- Immune dysregulation is associated with the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which may disrupt brain function.
- Clinical management of SSc may benefit from integrated care approaches that include rheumatology-psychiatry collaboration and targeted therapies.
- Addressing both physical and psychiatric symptoms could improve patients' overall health-related quality of life.
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