Researcher to Study Quality of Life with Rare Skin Disease

Physicians don’t know what causes scleroderma, an autoimmune disease that hardens the skin, but University of Cincinnati rheumatologist Dinesh Khanna, MD, is hoping to change that.

Dr. Khanna, an assistant professor of internal medicine, is among only eight researchers internationally to receive a $150,000 new investigator’s grant from the Scleroderma Foundation’s 2006 research funding cycle. The three-year grant is intended to help researchers develop data that will attract funding for larger, more in-depth research.

A Dayton, Ohio, resident, Dr. Khanna, plans to study the quality of life of systemic sclerosis patients.

“People with scleroderma often experience excruciating pain, depression, disfigurement and disability. Very little research has been done to understand factors that might improve their quality of life,” says Dr. Khanna.

Scleroderma, which literally means “hard skin,” is a chronic progressive disease in which the immune system attacks its own body. It can cause serious damage to internal organs, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract. As these organs harden, they work less effectively, which can lead to their failure.

Some medications and treatments can help with certain symptoms of the disease, but as yet there is no cure.

Dr. Khanna will work with researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, to survey scleroderma patients. The proposed study does not include any medical or behavioral interventions. Rather, participants will complete a set of questionnaires designed to capture the severity of their pain and physical functioning as well as their emotional and psychological health and social support.

“We’ll evaluate this information to see what influences patients’ satisfaction with their life, and design interventions targeted toward those factors in order to improve quality of life for patients with scleroderma,” says Dr. Khanna.

“Our goal,” Dr. Khanna says, “is for the information we gather to lead to studies and clinical trials that may help us develop effective medical interventions.”