A patient with systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) is at increased risk for malnutrition.
Some of the factors associated with malnutrition:
(1) poor appetite
(2) high number of gastrointestinal complaints
(3) long disease duration
(4) diffuse disease
(5) greater severity by physician global assessment
(6) anemia
(7) capillary rarefaction on nailfold video-capillaroscopy
A patient should be screened for malnutrition, including monitoring of serum prealbumin (transthyretin) and body weight.
