A multicenter, ongoing study of early‐diagnosed cases of systemic sclerosis and
comparison patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, polymyositis/dermatomyositis, and
Raynaud's phenomenon was conducted in order to develop classification criteria for
systemic sclerosis. Preliminary criteria are proposed, namely, the finding of either the sole
major criterion, ie, 1) sclerodactyly, 2) digital pitting scars of fingertips or loss of substance of
the distal finger pad, and 3) bilateral basilar pulmonary fibrosis. When applied to the case …