Systemic sclerosis sine scleroderma associated with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

Abstract

The term "systemic sclerosis sine scleroderma" (ssSSc) has been used to designate a rare progressive systemic sclerosis of visceral organs without skin manifestations. A variety of visceral organs, including the gastrointestinal tract, lung, heart, and kidney, can be involved. We describe a case of 59-year-old female patient with both Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome and ssSSc. She was diagnosed as having ssSSc with Raynaud's phenomenon, anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) and anti-topoisomerase antibody positivity, interstitial pulmonary infiltrates, suspected pulmonary hypertension, subclinical oesophageal dysmotility but no skin thickening. She had a history of paroxysmal tachycardia together with Raynaud's phenomenon and exercise-induced dyspnoea. Electrophysiological study confirmed WPW syndrome with left posterior bypass tract. This case highlights cardiac arrhythmia caused by WPW syndrome as a clinical manifestation of the heart in ssSSc.