Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease (UCTD)

When a person has symptoms of various connective tissue diseases without meeting the full criteria for any one of them, it is often called Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease.

New scleroderma subtypes provide disease insight. One in five patients with clinical symptoms characteristic of systemic sclerosis does not fit into the popular classification scheme that divides the disease into the diffuse and limited. Undifferentiated scleroderma was defined as Raynaud's phenomenon and at least one additional major feature of systemic sclerosis in patients not meeting the full American College of Rheumatology criteria; such features include nail-fold capillary changes, pulmonary hypertension, puffy fingers, or scleroderma-specific autoantibodies. Jancin, Bruce. Entrpreneur. September 2008. (Also see: Types of Scleroderma and Overlap)

An unusual case of undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) presenting as cardiac tamponade. This case presents UCTD as a rare cause of cardiac tamponade and large pericardial effusions and suggests that colchicine can be used to treat UCTD-associated effusions. (SpringerLink) P. Hari. Rheumatology International. December 16 2009. (Also see: Cardiac Complications)

May Autoimmune Thyroiditis (AIT) Represent a Candidate Risk Factor for Evolution of Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease (UCTD)? Results from a Preliminary Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study. This preliminary retrospective cross-sectional study indicate that UCTD with AIT showed a more frequent (although not statistically significant) evolution towards a defined CTD than UCTD without AIT, regardless of other clinical and serological differences. M. Fotinidi. (OP-0051) EULAR 2009. (Also see: Autoimmune Thyroiditis)

Undifferentiated connective tissue disease: a seven-center cross-sectional study of 184 patients. The purpose of this study was to characterize the clinical and serological features of a large cohort of patients with antinuclear antibody (ANA) positive undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD). Seventy-two percent of these UCTD patients present lupus-, scleroderma-, or Sjögren-like features but do not fulfill classification criteria and mostly present a mild disease. C. C. Vaz. Clinical Rheumatology. 24 April 2009 (Also see: Autoantibodies)

Vitamin D or hormone D deficiency in autoimmune rheumatic diseases, including undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD). Epidemiological evidence indicates a significant association between vitamin D deficiency and an increased incidence of autoimmune diseases. Patients with undifferentiated connective tissue disease also show vitamin D deficiency and, interestingly, patients who progress into CTDs had the lower vitamin D levels than those who remained in UCTD stage. M. Cutolo. Arthritis Research & Therapy. Dec 2 2008. (Also see: Vitamin D Deficiency)

Vitamin D deficiency in Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease (UCTD). Our results suggest that vitamin D deficiency in UCTD patients may play a role in the subsequent progress into well-defined CTDs. E. Zold. Arthritis Research & Therapy. October 18, 2008. (Also see: Vitamin D Deficiency)

Progressive divergent shifts in natural and induced T-regulatory cells signify the transition from undifferentiated (UCTD) to definitive connective tissue disease (CTD). The shift toward T(h)1 with increased IFNgamma production in patients with UCTD combined with the degree of immunoregulatory disturbances characterized by the progressive divergent shifts in natural and induced T-regulatory cell populations signify the transition from undifferentiated to definitive CTD. (PubMed) Szodoray P. Int Immunol 2008 Jun 11.

Comparison of Survival Among Patients With Connective Tissue Disease and Cardiomyopathy (Systemic Sclerosis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, and Undifferentiated Disease-UCTD). The diagnosis of cardiomyopathy and either undifferentiated CTD or systemic sclerosis appears to be a poor prognostic indicator compared with the diagnosis of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and cardiomyopathy have a similar prognosis to those with idiopathic DCM (Sciene Direct) The American Journal of Cardiology Volume 100, Issue 3, 1 August 2007, Pages 513-517. (Also see: Lupus, and Cardiac Involvement)

Anti-Thyroid Autoantibody-Associated Interface Dermatitis in Individuals with Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease (UCTD): An Unrecognized Subset of Autoimmune Disease? We have identified a new subset of individuals with UCTD, interface dermatitis, and increased anti-thyroid antibodies. Journal of Rheumatology. Vol 34: NO. 1 Jan 2007.

Defining Unclassifiable Connective Tissue Diseases: Incomplete, Undifferentiated, or Both? More exact and correct classification could improve the clinical and therapeutic approach to these patients and lead to a better definition of their prognosis. Further multicenter analysis is necessary to better define both clinical and serological exclusion criteria. J. Rheumatol. Vol. 32 No. 2 February 2005. Editorial.

Raynaud's phenomenon in undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD). Our study indicates that patients with UCTD would seem to have a benign form of Raynaud's, since they show the absence of cutaneous complications, the existence of a mild microvascular damage and a stable nailfold capillary pattern. PubMed. Clin Rheumatol. 2005 Apr;24(2):145-51. (Also see: Raynaud's)