Esophageal Involvement Is Not Seen in Patients with Morphea (Localized Scleroderma)

Morphea is a form of scleroderma that is localized to the skin, whereas patients with systemic sclerosis have both cutaneous and internal involvement. Most studies have demonstrated that there is limited or no systemic disease in patients with morphea, regardless of the subtype. In 1994, Dehen and colleagues performed a systematic study of 76 patients with morphea and found 16 with mild, generally asymptomatic internal involvement, including mild esophageal dysfunction (Medicine 1994; 73:241). Since that time, most authorities have not recommended a thorough esophageal evaluation, but no studies of this issue have been performed.

These investigators conducted a prospective, observational study of 87 patients with systemic sclerosis (56) or m…