SynthesisSystematic reviews2015
Factors associated with development of gastrointestinal problems in patients with scleroderma: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Systematic reviews, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of gastrointestinal involvement on mortality and malnutrition in systemic sclerosis: an observational cohort of 135 patients.Rheumatology international · 2025Observational
- Probiotic Interventions in Systemic Sclerosis Patients: A Systematic Review and Future Prospects.Health science reports · 2025Review
- Managing gastrointestinal manifestations in systemic sclerosis, a mechanistic approach.Expert review of clinical immunology · 2024Review
- Targeting Systemic Sclerosis from Pathogenic Mechanisms to Clinical Manifestations: Why IL-6?Biomedicines · 2022Review
- A practical approach to the evaluation and management of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with systemic sclerosis.Best practice & research. Clinical rheumatology · 2021Review
- Support Groups in Scleroderma.Current rheumatology reports · 2019Review
- Gastrointestinal Involvement in Systemic Sclerosis: An Update.Journal of clinical rheumatology : practical reports on rheumatic & musculoskeletal diseases · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundUp to 90% of people with scleroderma have gastrointestinal (GI) problems such as constipation, bloating, diarrhea, and malabsorption. These problems significantly impair quality of life. Our objective was to determine the risk factors for gastrointestinal issues in people with scleroderma.
methodsWe conducted a systematic review of observational studies that report GI problems in patients with scleroderma along with the associated risk factors. We were interested in any GI problem and any risk factor as long as the study included patients diagnosed with scleroderma according to the 1980 or 2013 American College of Rheumatology guideline. We searched the following databases: CINAHL, EMBASE, LILACS, MEDLINE, and Web of Science for relevant articles from June 1884 to May 2014. Two authors independently screened citations and full text articles and extracted data. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus or by consulting a third author. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.
resultsAfter removing duplicates, 645 unique citations were identified. A total of three studies, three cross-sectional (n = 64, n = 42, n = 606), were included in this systematic review. Collectively, these three studies explored Helicobacter pylori and smoking status as risk factors. We found conflicting evidence on the role of H. pylori with two studies showing opposite yet statistically significant results. One moderate quality study showed smoking as a risk factor. Key limitations include the small sample sizes of two studies and poor study designs to draw causal links.
conclusionsThere is insufficient evidence to describe the risk factors for GI problems in patients with scleroderma. Longitudinal observational studies are warranted in patients with scleroderma. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42014010707.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.