Diagnosis of Scleroderma

Laboratory Evaluation for Scleroderma

• Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) - over 90% of people with systemic scleroderma show elevated ANA in the blood. This antibody is a marker of autoimmune disease. If the ANA test is positive, further antibody testing can be conducted to determine the type of SSc. These include:

  • Anti-centromere antibodies - commonly seen with CREST and limited scleroderma.
  • Anti-topoisomerase antibodies - commonly seen in diffuse scleroderma.

• CBC (complete blood count).

• Sedimentation rate - this is rarely elevated unless the scleroderma is diffuse.
• C-reactive protein may be elevated
• Urinalysis - to evaluate the presence of hematuria (blood cells in the urine) or proteinuria (elevated levels of proteins in the urine) which would indicate kidney involvement.